MIDLAND, Texas — Yarbrough Elementary is only about six years old, yet it's already a school bursting at the seams. With a functional capacity of 752 students, Yarbrough is currently home to 837 students. Now, Midland ISD is looking at ways to deal with that issue.
One potential solution involves readjusting the attendance zone map. The school board heard a report on what changing the attendance zone map would look like, although they took no action on the plan during the December school board meeting.
The proposed solution would take a piece of Yarbrough's attendance zone and add it to the Henderson Elementary attendance zone.
"When you look at a map with Yarbrough's position, it’s right next to Henderson‘s in terms of attendance zones and boundaries," Elana Ladd, MISD's chief communication officer, said. "So what we’re looking at doing is taking a portion of Yarbrough‘s attendance zone, which right now is really quite large if you look on a map, and reassigning just a portion of that to Henderson."
Over 100 students live in that highlighted block and would be added to the Henderson zone. Families that live in that block have already been contacted by the school about a potential change. Those who do not live in that block will not be contacted about the move.
Also within that block are about 24 fifth graders at Yarbrough Elementary. They will be allowed to stay at Yarbrough to finish their elementary school education there for the upcoming school year if this passes. However, they will have to apply to transfer to Yarbrough, although MISD said they will be granted that transfer.
MISD said that there will be another informational session for the families in that block in January.