Student Enrollment Dips During Pandemic Mean Texas Schools Will Lose Millions Without State Policy Change

Districts could be losing about $200 million in funds to educate children living in poverty

By Emily Donaldson | The Dallas Morning News • Published October 31, 2020 • Updated on October 31, 2020 at 9:48 pm

Every day, the Richardson school district dispatches staff to track down missing students who never logged on or showed up for the fall semester. They knock on doors, call family members and visit locations around the area where students have been spotted.

Even with these efforts, about 1,900 students are unaccounted for — that’s the equivalent of the enrollment at three junior high schools.

In Texas, where funding is based on the number of students who show up for class each day, the 1,900 missing students mean Richardson ISD could lose $10.4 million in state funds.