Plano ISD lost 2,535 students in a single year, pushing the district that runs four Murphy campuses deeper into a $44.8 million budget hole.
Enrollment stood at 41,303 as of Sept. 4, down from 43,838 in October 2025, Deputy Superintendent Johnny Hill told the Plano ISD Board of Trustees at its Tuesday, Sept. 8 meeting, Local Profile reported. The district has now lost more than 14,000 students since its enrollment peaked in 2011.
The decline hits close to home. Plano ISD operates Hunt Elementary, Boggess Elementary, Murphy Middle School and McMillen High School in Murphy.
Where the losses are steepest
Fourth grade saw the largest drop, losing 362 students compared with the prior year. Twelfth grade followed at 327 fewer students. Sixth grade was the only level to gain, adding 17.
Each lost student costs the district roughly $10,000 in state funding, according to district estimates. That math helps explain a $44.8 million projected shortfall in the $691.6 million budget that Board President Dr. Lauren Tyra and the six other trustees unanimously adopted at a June 23 work session.
Plano ISD expects about $634.6 million in local, state and federal revenue, plus $12.2 million in operating transfers. The district plans to cover the remaining gap with existing fund balance and other financing sources, according to the Murphy Monitor.
What's driving the slide
Superintendent Dr. Theresa Williams and district officials pointed to lower birth rates, rising housing costs, changing demographics and growing competition from charter schools, private schools and homeschooling, the Murphy Monitor reported Sept. 10. State funding through House Bill 2 (HB 2) helped, but Plano ISD said the additional money does not fully offset enrollment losses, inflation and maintenance needs at aging facilities.
The district has already made significant cuts. Trustees unanimously voted in June 2024 to close Foreman Elementary, Armstrong Middle School, Davis Elementary and Carpenter Middle School. All four shut their doors at the end of the 2024-25 school year.
Budget breakdown and tax rate
Instruction accounts for about $340.8 million of the spending plan. Maintenance and operations follow at $55.6 million, school leadership at $32 million and guidance and counseling at $27.2 million. The budget includes a 2% salary increase for eligible employees.
Trustees also adopted a property tax rate of $1.03275 per $100 of taxable value, down from $1.03955 the prior year. But certified property values rose 1.91%, climbing from $74.36 billion to $75.77 billion. As a result, the typical Plano ISD homeowner will pay about $3,807 in district taxes this year, an increase of $54, based on a mean taxable home value of $368,605.
What's next
Whether additional campus closures or program cuts are on the table remains unclear. The next regular Plano ISD Board of Trustees meeting is scheduled for Oct. 6 at 5:30 p.m. at the Administration Building, 2700 W. 15th St. in Plano.
