Crosby ISD Asks Voters for $208 Million for a Fifth Elementary and a New Middle School
Two propositions on the Nov. 3 ballot would replace a 1974 middle school and add room for a district projected to grow 61% in ten years.
Crosby ISD is asking voters to approve $208.28 million in bonds on Nov. 3 to build a fifth elementary school, replace a middle school that opened in 1974, and repair roofs and air conditioning across the district. Early voting runs through Friday, Oct. 30.
The package is split into two propositions, so voters can say yes to one and no to the other. The details below come from the district's bond information site, which lays out the projects, costs and enrollment numbers the board relied on.
Proposition A: $98.28 million
According to the district's proposition breakdown, Proposition A would pay for Elementary School #5. It would hold about 750 students in pre-kindergarten through fifth grade and be built to expand to 950. The school would cover about 120,000 square feet on land the district already owns, and construction is expected to take about two years.
The same proposition covers work on existing buildings: heating and air conditioning, roofs, site work, safety and security, and technology infrastructure. Barrett Elementary, for example, is slated for roof work and replacement of 35 rooftop units. Other campuses on the list include Crosby, Drew and Newport elementaries, the Kindergarten Center, the Pre-K center and Crosby High School.
Proposition B: $110 million
Proposition B would replace Crosby Middle School, built in 1974. The district says the building's foundation, roof and mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems have been under engineering investigation since January 2024.
The new school would serve about 1,100 students in grades seven and eight but would be designed for 1,500 students if the district later moves sixth grade there. It would cover about 232,500 square feet and take about three years to build. Unlike the elementary school, the district has not yet bought land for it.
Illustrative: school construction at Plano Senior High School in July 2026. This is not a Crosby ISD project. Photo: Ranch9613 / Wikimedia Commons, CC0.
Why the district says it needs room
The district's growth page says Crosby ISD has about 7,300 students, up 1,555 in five years. A June 2025 demographic study by PASA forecasts 11,378 students in ten years, a gain of 4,332, or about 61%.
The same study projects 14,494 new housing units between April 2025 and October 2034. At the time, 252 homes were under construction and 7,336 more were planned. By 2029, the district says, every elementary school but one will be over its 750-student capacity, and by 2030 more than half will be above 120% of capacity. Portable classrooms at Newport cost about $1,072,500, according to the district.
The district's FAQ says it asked 15 developers whether they would donate land for schools. None agreed.
What it would cost taxpayers
The financials page estimates that the debt-service part of the tax rate would rise about two cents, from $0.48 to $0.50 per $100 of value. Fifty cents is the legal limit for new debt. For the district's average home, with a taxable value of $115,728, that comes to about $23.15 a year, or $1.93 a month. Homeowners 65 and older or with a disability who have the tax-ceiling exemption would see no increase.
The district points out that its total tax rate has fallen from $1.6700 in 2013-14 to $1.2241 in 2025-26, and that it earned a 98 out of 100 on the state's financial integrity rating. These are the district's own projections. The final tax impact will depend on future property values and when bonds are sold.
What happened to the last bond
Voters may ask how the 2017 bond went. That bond was $109.5 million, and the district says $11.3 million of it has not yet been spent. It also says the Crosby High School expansion cost $27,615,004, about $10.1 million under its $37.75 million budget. A Sixth Grade Campus is scheduled to open in 2027-28.
The bond website is a district information page, not an independent review. The district has hired the firm Pfluger for communications. Voters who want to check the claims can read the district's order calling the election and ask questions at the central office, 14670 FM 2100.
How to vote
Crosby ISD voters cast ballots at Harris County vote centers. Early voting continues through Oct. 30, and polls are open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Election Day, Nov. 3. Locations are posted at HarrisVotes.com. Our guide to the final week of early voting covers hours and ID rules, and readers whose names are missing from the rolls can see how a provisional ballot works.
A school bond asks people to borrow against the future for their neighbors' children. It deserves a careful look at the numbers, whichever way you vote.
