SADLER, Texas (KTEN) — Transfer students often attend schools for a specific course of study, more extracurricular opportunities, or are new to an area. 

But students and parents are seeing changes to the transfer student enrollment process, and Grayson County school districts are making plans to keep up with the demand.

"We want to stay ahead with our schools. We want to be able to have a school that is available to kids," said S&S Consolidated Independent School District Superintendent Jeff Russell. 

During the 2023-2024 school year he noted that 184 of their the district's 961 students transferred into the district.

While Russell doesn't believe transfer policy changes are necessary right now, he said that could be necessary within the next two years. 

"Our elementary ... we're probably two years out from being at 95 percent capacity, so we have a little bit of room, but keeping in mind also that it takes roughly two-and-a-half years to build a new school," he said. 

If a new capacity plan isn't established by the 2026-27 school year, S&S Consolidated will have to rethink its transfer student policy. 

"We would have to, you know, back off of our transfers at that point," Russell said. "We have to make a decision of, 'OK, well, we're not going to be accepting any transfers until we have the space provided.'"

While S&S Consolidated is working on its plan, Gunter Independent School District has made a decision on inter-district transfer students based on a 150-rooftop development that could be completed in the next 12 to 14 months.

"The course of our conversation has changed regarding the acceptance of transfer students," said GISD Superintendent Scott Martindale in a written statement. "We will stay the course with our current policy, which is based on the early acceptance of families that are in the process of building or buying a home in our attendance zone."