COPPERAS COVE — Copperas Cove ISD continues to buck statewide and national enrollment trends, according to a demographic report presented to trustees Tuesday, while the school board also approved a calendar adjustment related to August’s citywide water outage and changes to student meal programs at two secondary campuses.

During the regular meeting of the Copperas Cove ISD Board of Trustees, nationally recognized school demographer Bob Templeton presented updated enrollment projections showing the district remains on a growth trajectory despite a projected decline of about 200 students during the 2026-27 school year.

Templeton reported that district enrollment as of Oct. 21 stood approximately 600 students above the peak enrollment recorded during the 2025-26 school year, an increase of nearly 10%.

Superintendent Dr. Brent Hawkins said the data reinforces what district leaders are seeing from families choosing Copperas Cove schools.

“I appreciated Mr. Templeton coming to Cove to show our trustees the data behind what we’re seeing in what parents think about the quality of our schools,” Hawkins said. “To see that we are one of, if not the only, school district in Region 12 with an increase in enrollment shows the level of trust that parents have in the Bulldawg Way and why The Cove Choice is so valuable.”

Templeton’s presentation also highlighted demographic factors supporting future enrollment growth. The number of children ages 0 to 4 within the community has increased slightly since 2020 and is expected to continue growing through 2031. He also pointed to Copperas Cove’s housing affordability as a key factor attracting new families to the district.

Trustees learned that student transfers into CCISD more than doubled, increasing from 225 students last year to 505 during the current school year. While 599 students residing within district boundaries transferred to other school systems last year, Templeton said updated transfer-out numbers will not be available until spring, though he expects a noticeable decline.

Calendar adjustment approved following water outage

Trustees also approved a calendar measure designed to address instructional time lost when a citywide water outage forced schools to close during the opening days of the academic year.

The action allows the district to use banked instructional minutes to offset two school closure days in August rather than requiring makeup days on Feb. 15 and May 10.

Hawkins said the decision prevents staff and students from having to make up lost instructional days but could reduce the district’s flexibility if weather-related closures occur later in the year.

“Although we won’t have to make up the days for the water main break which impacted our entire community unexpectedly, and staff compensation will be unaffected, the board may not have this level of flexibility heading into the winter, should we have to close due to icy weather,” Hawkins said.

Texas requires school districts to provide 75,600 instructional minutes annually. Following the board’s action, seven campuses have 860 or fewer banked minutes remaining. Among those campuses is Clements/Parsons Elementary School, which lost instructional time earlier this month because of a power outage that left the campus without air conditioning.

Meal program changes begin in January

The board also approved changes to the student meal program at Copperas Cove High School and Central Texas Innovation Academy, where paid meals will resume after the winter break.

The change follows the campuses’ removal from the federal Community Eligibility Provision program, which provides free breakfast and lunch to all students at qualifying schools. District officials said the loss of eligibility stems from changes in federal law affecting qualification requirements for SNAP and other assistance programs.

“We understand that this is a significant change which will impact families,” Hawkins said. “We wanted to make sure to provide as much notice as possible to parents, so they could plan for the change.”

Beginning in January, breakfast will cost $2.50 and lunch will cost $3 for students paying full price at the two campuses.

Students from families participating in SNAP or Medicaid will continue receiving free meals without additional paperwork. Eligible families will be notified by email.

Other families will be asked to complete the district’s online Free and Reduced-Price Meal Application. District officials emphasized that the applications affect not only meal program funding but also broader school funding and accountability calculations.

“We will continue to work with every family, as we have always done, to ensure their student has everything they need to be successful,” Hawkins said.

Families whose circumstances change during the year may submit a new application at any time.

Upcoming meetings

The board’s next Special Called Meeting is scheduled for Nov. 2 at 5 p.m. Trustees will then meet Nov. 16 for a Special Called/Workshop Meeting at 5 p.m., followed by the regular board meeting at 6 p.m. Both meetings will be held in the Board Room at the District Service & Training Center on South Main Street.

Meeting agendas are posted three business days before each meeting and are available through the district’s Board of Trustees webpage.