On Thursday April 11, 2024, the School Board voted to make Helms Elementary a separate and unique school. At a separate and unique school all students must apply to attend, and no students are zoned. The Board directed HISD to come back to them in 60 days with a plan to address the needs of all students in the zone.

HISD will now engage with the communities that would normally be zoned to Helms to identify solutions that help all zoned students access high-quality school options. As a part of the solution, HISD is currently prioritizing the following principles:

1. Current zoned families will not be rezoned to other schools for at least three years.
2. Current zoned families will still have priority access to the available seats at Helms and Wharton.
3. If there is not space available for current zoned families, HISD will work to create a unique transfer option to support them in obtaining a seat at surrounding campuses. We plan to provide transportation as part of this transfer option.