Populations in Prosper and the surrounding counties continue to fluctuate as more people move to Texas. Because of this, the local and federal government undergoes a process called redistricting, and this has left many students wondering what that means for the following school year.

To quell the worries this may be causing, it’s important to define what redistricting is, and a lot of this confusion stems from the word district having multiple uses. For example, the word district refers to the zone or area where schools can pull students for attendance and usually falls within the county or city lines.

Redistricting is not the redrawing of school zones; instead, the reallocation of districts for electoral boundaries directly resulting from population change.

“The census triggers [redistricting] by law from article one in the constitution,” Nickens said. “When [the census occurs], the population shifts, and as the population moves, you go, ok well we have so many people here, so we have to build those schools. You don’t want to have class sizes of 40-50 kids. That’s not very good for learning.”

Once the population change is addressed, rezoning must be brought to attention, as this procedure is what determines the changes that Frisco ISD is undergoing.

“[Redistricting] is how [we] elect our representatives. So like, if you right now [go to school] in Prosper ISD but you live in the city of Frisco, you’re going to be in Prosper ISD, and that won’t change unless both Prosper ISD and Frisco ISD agree that we want this group of people to go to a different school district,” chief of administrative services, and general counsel Jeff Crownover said, “and [that] there is a whole process that almost never happens. I’m just telling you that it is extremely, extremely rare.“

If zoning lines needed to be redrawn entirely, both ISD’s would need to come to a mutual agreement that changes them, so students currently enrolled in Rock Hill have nothing to worry about regarding their school status. However, future students presently enrolled in elementary school might have another answer as Prosper ISD builds more schools.

“If you have a sibling that’s in elementary school, [going to a different high school] could be something that happens when they get to that age, but it won’t affect anyone who is currently in this building today,” Nickens said. “We don’t have the crystal ball to see the future, but I think our students can rest easy and let Frisco be Frisco.”

The majority of the time, other school districts announcing rezoning will not affect the surrounding districts, and the only thing that will affect school attendance is the addition of new schools within the ISD. Walnut Grove High School, the incoming third high school in Prosper ISD, recently celebrated breaking ground and is expected to be finished by the fall of 2024.

“So what’s happening in Frisco ISD only affects Frisco ISD, nothing new [will happen to] Prosper ISD,” Crownover said. “[Sometimes] we have to change zones in Prosper from time to time, as I think you know, but until that third high school is built and ready to go, the high school zones in Prosper won’t change.”

This population influx will most likely mean one surefire change for PISD, and that is the switching of RHHS’s status of a 5A school, to a 6A one, the same rank that PHS currently has.

“But now the UIL is a whole separate group that makes a decision based on the 5A, 6A, 4A and UIL makes those calls because they’re the ones that deal with the competition, and extracurricular stuff,” Crownover said, “and so they’re going to [make] changes, they do that every two years. So they will set a number and if your student enrollment- we just did it in Oct. Which is why I’m saying when [Rock Hill is a 6A]- hits a certain number, and if you’re above that number, or you’re in a certain range, you’re going to be a certain classification.”

This change can possibly create friction between the schools, but it is important to remember that while the schools will be on the same competition placing for UIL, this does not mean that there needs to be a divide.

“I think that it’s important to create valuable friendships and connections; otherwise, students would have a hard time enjoying school,” sophomore Alexander Jones said. “Also, students would not be able to look back and say they enjoyed high school as much.”

Frisco’s rezoning, and the state’s redistricting, mean a lot of things, but one thing that it definitely does not mean, is student worry and anxiety about their placement in PISD. The information swirling around about Frisco ISD’s zoning change is informational and scary for those who do not know what they’re reading.

“You’ve been in clubs here, you’ve been in sports here, you know, you’ve been invested here. We’re that family you know, you’ve been all in, and now it’s- that’s a lot, and that can be very traumatic, especially with friends,” Nickens said, “you know I’m glad that we’re making awareness about something that’s important, that’s substance. In the crazy world we live in and the misinformation, I’m glad that we as teachers can be the front line of positive, real [and] factual information. “