Conroe ISD is projected to see enrollment grow to 73,000 students by the 2030-31 school year, according to a new Zonda Demographics study presented to the board of trustees at its March 17 meeting.

A previous 2022 study performed by Population and Survey Analysts projected higher numbers, with nearly 100,000 students expected by 2032-33.

What to know: Conroe ISD enrollment increased by 5,072 students overall in the last four school years, with 150 fewer students entering in the 2025-26 school year, according to Zonda.

“We used district birthdate data, from the state health department ... we look at the ZIP codes that predominantly make up the district and look at the kindergarten enrollment as a capture rate,” said Rocky Gardiner, Zonda’s director of school district consulting.

Digging deeper: Zonda officials said within the next 10 years, the district will grow to almost 73,000 students by 2030-31 before an anticipated decline by 2035-36 to around 71,500 students. This contrasts with a previous PASA report that showed nearly steady growth expected from 2023-33.

Teacups & Tadpoles, located along West Panther Creek Drive, is under new ownership with Caitlin Kawata since January.

The gist: The boutique has sold children’s clothing and accessories for 22 years and has recently expanded to offer more styles and options.

• 4775 W. Panther Creek Drive, Ste. 158A, The Woodlands

From road widenings and asphalt repairs to interchange work and transit upgrades, transportation projects are progressing across the Greater Houston region. Some are already under construction, while others are entering design, public input or bidding phases. 

Here are updates on 13 transportation projects that could affect commutes. This list is not comprehensive, and details are subject to change.

Upcoming projects
Shaw Road widening
Project: Shaw Road would be widened from two to four lanes between Northpointe Boulevard and Boudreaux Road, per Harris County Precinct 3’s website.
Update: The study phase has been completed, and future roadway options are being evaluated, according to Harris County Precinct 3 officials.

• Timeline: TBD
• Cost: TBD
• Funding source: Harris County Precinct 3

• Timeline: ongoing
• Cost: $1.33 million
• Funding source: Montgomery County road bond

The city of Houston and the U.S. Navy announced the lineup of ships for the first-ever Fleet Week Houston.

The event: Fleet Week Houston will bring U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard vessels to the Port of Houston on April 15-22. During that week, the public will have the chance to meet and engage with service members, learn about the ships' roles in national defense and take ship tours.

Participating ships include:

• USS Kearsarge (LHD-3): an assault ship designed for multi-purpose operations, including troop transport and aircraft support
• USS Minneapolis-St. Paul (LCS-21): a littoral combat ship optimized for operations in near-shore environments with high speed and agility
• USS Cooperstown (LCS-23): a littoral combat ship sharing the same advanced capabilities for coastal missions
• USCGC Edgar Culbertson (WPC-1137): a fast response cutter equipped for a range of missions, including search and rescue, law enforcement and port security

Texas families now have an additional two weeks to apply for the state’s new education savings account program, a Houston federal judge ruled March 17.

What's happening: U.S. District Judge Alfred Bennett ordered the state comptroller’s office to extend the application deadline to March 31 over concerns that no Islamic private schools had been greenlit to accept state ESA funds. In two lawsuits filed in early March, four Muslim parents said they felt deterred from applying for education savings accounts because the Islamic schools they send their children to were not among the 2,200 schools authorized to participate in the program.

Parents previously had until 11:59 p.m. March 17 to apply for the program.

Latest update: In a March 17 news release, the comptroller’s office confirmed that applications would be accepted through March 31 in compliance with the judge’s order.

Over 229,000 students had applied for the $1 billion program as of March 17, Acting Comptroller Kelly Hancock said. The state will use a need- and income-based lottery system to determine who is accepted.