Texas public schools lose 76,000 students in one year

By AI, Created 5:32 PM UTC, May 18, 2026, /AGP/ – Texas public schools shed more than 76,000 students in the 2025-26 school year, the largest non-pandemic enrollment drop in modern state history, even as the state’s population kept growing. A new Texas 2036 report says the decline is broad-based and could reshape school funding, staffing and long-term planning.

Why it matters: - Texas public school enrollment drives funding, staffing, facilities planning and long-term workforce preparation. - The latest decline signals a structural shift, not just a short-term dip tied to one region or one student group. - Texas 2036 projects the state could have about 100,000 fewer K-12 public school students by 2030 if current demographic trends continue.

What happened: - Texas public schools lost more than 76,000 students during the 2025-26 school year, according to a new Texas 2036 report released Monday. - The drop is the second-largest single-year enrollment decline in modern Texas history and the largest outside the COVID-19 pandemic. - The report was released ahead of a May 11 Texas House Public Education Committee interim hearing on enrollment trends and school finance stability. - The report says the decline is broad-based and not limited to one region or student group.

The details: - Hispanic students accounted for roughly four out of five students lost statewide. - Nearly 60% of the current enrollment loss occurred in grades K-5. - Middle schools have lost students in four of the last five years. - The share of Texas school-age children enrolled in public schools has fallen by about 3.5 percentage points over the last decade. - Texas 2036 says that decline suggests lower birth rates do not fully explain the trend. - Enrollment losses were spread across the state. - Eighteen of 20 Education Service Center regions lost students. - Some of the sharpest declines were in the Rio Grande Valley, Amarillo and Midland regions. - Public school enrollment is falling even as Texas’ total population continues to grow. - Major urban districts have steadily contracted over the last decade. - Charter schools and many rural districts have expanded their share of enrollment over the same period. - The full report is available here.

Between the lines: - The sharp drop in early grades suggests the enrollment decline will likely move through middle and high schools over the next decade. - Population growth alone is no longer translating into public school enrollment growth in many parts of Texas. - The data point to a broader redistribution of where students are going, with implications for district size, school choice and resource allocation. - Mary Lynn Pruneda, director of education and workforce policy at Texas 2036, said the report raises questions about how Texas plans for public education amid major demographic and enrollment change. - Carlo Castillo, senior research analyst at Texas 2036, said policymakers and district leaders will need to plan for a structural shift.

What’s next: - The Texas House Public Education Committee is set to examine enrollment trends and the school finance system at its May 11 interim hearing. - District leaders and state policymakers are likely to face pressure to adjust staffing, facilities and funding assumptions to match slower enrollment growth. - Texas 2036’s projections suggest the state could keep losing students in the coming years unless current trends change.

The bottom line: - Texas schools are serving fewer students even as the state grows, forcing a reset in how leaders plan for the next decade.