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Vidor ISD makes first UIL classification drop since 1996, district says enrollment decline started with Harvey

"I think we'll be on a better competitive tier and playing against them will be more against schools our size."

VIDOR, Texas — The UIL has high schools send in enrollment data every two years at the end of October. 

This year, Vidor High School had 152 fewer students than it did two years ago. 

Vidor ISD Superintendent Jay Killgo says the district started to notice the decrease in enrollment after Harvey. 

"Then this year we had Tropical storm Imelda which was another blow. Some people who flooded two years ago, flooded again and you know frankly, I heard several just say, we've got just to move somewhere else, this is just too much damage," Killgo said. 

The Lost Lake Lane subdivision near Claiborne Park in Vidor is one of the areas that was hit the hardest. Four months after Imelda, there are still pieces of people's homes ripped up and piled in front yards. 

RELATED: The New Normal: Family's move from Chicago to Southeast Texas greeted by Imelda floodwaters

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"People are in repair mode right now.  And there's many homes that people just didn't return to. a lot of people moved, didn't rebuild, you know? I would say it affected 94 percent of our community," Killgo said. 

He knew the district would go down to 4A classification when the UIL released its cut off numbers in November. He said it's not the worst thing that could happen. 

"You know one of those challenges the last couple of years was playing schools with much higher enrollment and enrollment makes a difference," Killgo said. 

He believes it'll help the district compete. 

"I think we'll be on a better competitive tier and playing against them will be more against schools our size," Killgo said. 

In the meantime, Vidor ISD plans to rebuild and elevate the schools that flooded during Imelda. They say it will eventually benefit not only the athletics department, but the entire learning experience for students. 

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