One of the most common questions asked to realtors by families moving to a new area is, ‘What can you tell me about the schools?’ And while it is definitely an important question to ask, it’s important to understand that Realtors have to be extra careful how they answer. Talking up one school or school district over another could be viewed as ‘steering,’ which is prohibited. It can even result in a Realtor losing their license. Having said that, we believe there are so many good things happening in our local schools that we wanted to share some positive things with you that you may not know. So, today we’re going to take a closer look at Bryan Independent School District.
In the November 2020 election voters approved a $175 million bond issue for the district. According to BISD, the bond issue funds improvements at campuses all over the district, but the ‘big ticket items’ include a third intermediate school and a much-needed addition to James Earl Rudder High School. The district wasted no time putting the money to work! The construction of 14 new classrooms at Rudder High School was completed in January 2022 and was ready for the spring semester when students returned from their holiday break.
O.W. Sadberry Sr. Intermediate School is almost 100% complete and will welcome its first students in August when school resumes for the 2023/24 school year. Named for a prominent long-time educator in Bryan – aptly known to everyone as ‘Professor Sadberry’ – this new campus will initially house only 5th grade students. 6th grade will be added in the 2024/25 school year to further ease crowding at the 2 other intermediate school campuses.
One thing is obvious when you look closely at Bryan ISD: It is big and getting bigger! The 2021/22 numbers from the Texas Tribune show that Travis B Bryan High School (located on Briarcrest Drive) had 2,354 students on its Blue and Silver campuses. Rudder (on Austin’s Colony Parkway) had 1,723. Bryan Collegiate High School (on Villa Maria Rd) had 435. The district overall had about 16,000 students and nearly 1,900 teachers. Wow!
And have you ever wondered how many buses it takes to get all those kids to school? The answer is 145. According to BISD, those buses travel 10,000 miles every day and over 1.5 million miles in a year! It is hard enough to keep one schedule in order. Can you imagine 145? Way to go BISD!
Hopefully you enjoyed learning just a little bit more about one of our local school districts here in the Brazos Valley. Our schools are a vital part of the community, so we’ll look at other schools around Aggieland in future weeks. In the meantime, be sure you reach out to us if you’re in the market for a new home or property. As you know, we’re from here! We’d love to help!
The Hudson Team
