By 2031, the Katy Independent School District expects to have an enrollment between 104,000 and 113,000 students, Superintendent Ken Gregorski said Tuesday.

Gregorski spoke at the West I-10 Chamber of Commerce meeting at the Henriksen Jet Center at Houston Executive Airport, 1900 Cardiff Road, in Brookshire.

The approximately 9,000-student discrepancy in figures depends on the growth track the district takes. Gregorski said the demographers told district officials that a moderate growth pattern would put the district enrollment at about 104,000 students. A higher growth pattern would put the district at 113,000 students.

Signs of the district’s growth have been in the local news over the past few months. Last month, the district celebrated its 90,000th student, a first-grade student at Mayde Creek Elementary School. Last year, the district dedicated Jordan High School, its ninth high school. In February, the district dedicated the Bill and Cindy Haskett Junior High School, its 17th. This fall, the district will open Steve and Elaine Robertson Elementary, its 44th elementary school.

To keep up with the growth, district residents can expect to see more campuses, along with the bonds needed to pay for them. Gregorski said the district will likely need another bond by 2024, with five elementary schools, two junior high schools, and one high school to be included.

Gregorski said the district, which has about 12,000 employees, is also looking for more teachers. Last month, the district hosted a teacher job fair, seeking candidates to fill more than 200 open teaching jobs. Gregorski said the district last year made the Forbes magazine list of best employers in Texas.

The magazine said the district was ranked as the top employer in education was and eighth overall on the Texas list.

Teachers, both present and future, will have a challenge as Katy comes out of the pandemic. He said the reading skills dropped by 9% and math skills by 2% compared to the rest of Texas, which were at 15% and 4%, respectively.

Gregorski said money from the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund, known as ESSER program, help. He said the district received $79.3 million from the federal government through this program. He said the money is meant for student safety and well-being, dealing with learning loss, and mental health.

Gregorski said the district will be using the money after school tutorials, behavioral interventions and summer student development activities.

For his part, Gregorski joked that he was so tired of hearing “COVID-19” that he charges $20 for each time he hears it in his office.