HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- In exclusive records sent to ABC13 by a source, the district's preliminary data shows 8,321 fewer students enrolled at HISD this year than in the 2024-25 school year. It is a larger number than the 6,700 students the district originally projected in a May budget meeting.

This is data Eyewitness News has been requesting from the district for weeks, but the district is refusing to release it until the state finalizes it. That source, frustrated with the district, gave us an inside look that shows student enrollment continues to drop year over year.

Here's a breakdown of the data:

- 2021-22: 194,606 students

- 2022-23 : 189,933 students

- 2023-24: 184,108 students

- 2024-25: 176,730 students

- 2025-26: 168,409 students (projected)

So why are students leaving?

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