The district, based in Katy, Texas, calls Virtual Legacy its 16th high school. District officials say joining the state's new voucher system lets Katy ISD offer more flexible learning options while pulling in extra funding through student enrollments from outside its normal boundaries.
Officials frame the move as a response to shifting public funding. One Katy ISD official put it plainly, saying school choice options are expanding while public funding has been declining, pushing the district to look for new revenue streams. By plugging into the voucher program through a virtual school rather than its traditional campuses, Katy ISD can recruit students without adding brick-and-mortar seats.
For families statewide, it means another option: a fully online high school backed by a large, established district instead of a smaller or newer virtual provider. For Katy ISD, it means a funding cushion at a time when traditional revenue is tightening.
A district usually competing for students inside its own boundary lines is now recruiting them from across the entire state, one laptop at a time.