Summer break is over and school is back in session.
Almost 88,600 students and 13,500 teachers and staff will kick off the 2008-09 school year at Northside ISD on Monday, Aug. 25.
NISD officially will open five new schools on Monday - Brandeis High School, Vale Middle School, and Carnahan, Forester, and Scarborough elementary schools. It's the most schools Northside has ever opened in one year and will help accommodate enrollment, which is growing by about 3,000 students per year.
Northside now has a total of 100 schools, which includes four high school magnet programs and campuses for special and alternative education. More than a quarter of those schools have opened since 2000.
"Northside now is one of the largest, fastest growing, and most diverse districts in the state of Texas," Superintendent John Folks said. "It makes for many challenges, but it's also one of the most exciting and dynamic school districts to be in."
Final data on student demographics isn't available yet, but roughly 63 percent of students are Hispanic, 25 percent are white, about 8 percent are African American, and about 3 percent are Asian. Almost half of all students are identified as economically disadvantaged.
Now that school is back in session, Folks is urging all parents and motorists to drive carefully because traffic patterns have changed, and there will be 700-plus buses on the road transporting more than 44,000 students. Children will be walking to and from school as well.
Visit the NISD back to school web page to learn more about registration, immunizations, school supplies lists, and other items related to going back to school.
