New Dripping Springs ISD elementary school will support city's growth

DRIPPING SPRINGS, Texas (KXAN) – Dripping Springs ISD hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for a new elementary school that will support the growing city and surrounding area. 

Over the last five years, the city of Dripping Springs' population has more than quadrupled. Additionally, the surrounding areas have seen an influx of new residents, according to the Census. 

“Dripping Springs is a fast-growth district,” said Holly Morris-Kuentz, the Dripping Springs ISD superintendent. “We currently have 8,500 students, and we are looking to grow in the next 10 years to be about 15,000 students in our area.”

The new school, now called Elementary No. 6, is being built in the Headwater neighborhood. It will accommodate 850 students and should be open in time for the 2025-26 school year. 

This new school was made possible because Dripping Springs ISD voters approved a $223.7 million bond referendum in May 2023. The money will help support the district's growth, renovate some of DSISD’s oldest campuses, and allow for other capital improvements. 

“There's a lot of people moving in, and we want to make sure that across all of our schools, our campuses are well aligned, and both our academics but also in our learning environments,” Morris-Kuentz said. 

Other bond projects include:

• Expanding Sycamore Springs Middle School
• Designing high school 
• Build new facility for special education 18 program
• Security updates for all campuses
• Classroom portables

“It's been critical for us to give students what they need and to expand our campus size to support our community,” Morris-Kuentz continued.