KATY, Texas (Covering Katy News) — Katy ISD is expected to forgo roughly $469,000 in federal immigrant education funding for the 2026-27 school year after the district experienced a decline in the number of students who qualify for the grant, district officials said Monday. The district has not released an official estimate of the funding loss.
Executive Director of Federal Programs Nakia Coy announced the change during a public hearing on federal grant applications at the June 15 Katy ISD Board of Trustees work-study meeting.
"The most significant change is the loss of our Title III immigrant allocation," Coy told trustees.
Coy said the funding is available only to districts that meet specific federal growth requirements.
"That funding requires districts to meet specific growth criteria and so we did not," Coy said. "Actually there was a decline in that population, so we did not meet the criteria for that grant this year."
What Is the Title III Immigrant Grant?
Federal Title III immigrant funds are intended to help school districts address the educational needs of newly arrived immigrant students through supplemental educational services, instructional materials, professional development and family engagement initiatives.
District officials did not disclose the amount of funding Katy ISD is expected to lose for the 2026-27 school year. However, the district's most recent publicly available planning documents show Katy ISD received approximately $469,188 in Title III immigrant funding to support language instruction programs, professional development and community engagement initiatives. The district has not said whether this year's loss would have been the same amount.
Who Qualifies as an Immigrant Student?
Under federal education law, an immigrant student is defined as a student who:
• Is between 3 and 21 years old;
• Was not born in the United States; and
• Has attended schools in the United States for fewer than three full academic years.
The designation does not indicate a student's immigration status and does not distinguish between students who are in the country legally or illegally.
Katy ISD Has Lost the Funding Before
Coy noted that this is not the first time Katy ISD has lost the funding.
"That also happened maybe several years ago during COVID where we did not have those funds as well," she said. "But then they came back, so there's always that possibility."
Despite the loss of the immigrant allocation, Katy ISD expects to continue receiving other major federal grants that support low-income students, teacher development, English learners, special education services, career and technical education programs and services for students experiencing homelessness.
Also Read: Katy ISD Projects $15.7 Million Budget Shortfall for Next School Year