The bell rings to signal the passing period. A floodgate opens as 2,644 students crowd the hallways to go to their next class. We are, in short, above our functional capacity.

Since last year, we added 216 students to the school. For the last 40 years the population grew and the numbers will only grow as more people move into the area. Students travel 20 to 40 minutes to get to school every morning and face longer drive times to reach their homes. Classrooms and lunches swell, and everyone feels the pinch. Another high school is needed to keep up with the growing population.

There are some who argue the district and the school have already taken measures such as adding new middle schools to the district and having portables on campus. New middle schools in this area only increase the student body filtering into the high school. The portables are in poor condition and will not suffice to house the massive numbers in this area. Proposals to redraw the district lines fall flat because students who live 20 minutes from the school would have to drive all the way to Canyon Lake. The best option for the district is another high school.

The district needs to take the growing population into account and build another high school nearby. “Everything’s bigger in Texas,” but education should not be stunted to prove the saying to be true.