The most popular schools for students transferring out of HISD

PHOTOS: The most popular schools for students transferring out of HISD Charter schools were the dominant destination for the student transferring out of HISD during the last school year. >>> See who is absorbing the most outgoing HISD students less PHOTOS: The most popular schools for students transferring out of HISD Charter schools were the dominant destination for the student transferring out of HISD during the last school year. >>> See who is ... more Photo: Jon Shapley, Staff Photographer / Staff Photographer Photo: Jon Shapley, Staff Photographer / Staff Photographer Image 1 of / 32 Caption Close The most popular schools for students transferring out of HISD 1 / 32 Back to Gallery

More than 38,000 students transferred out of Houston ISD during the 2017-18 year, with the overwhelming majority flocking to charter schools in the Houston area, according to data from the Texas Education Agency.

Despite HISD losing 38,532 students to other districts, only 3,097 students transferred into the district that year, according to the data. The district is the largest in the state with a total enrollment of about 214,000, but it lost a significantly higher percentage of students who transferred out of the district compared to the Cypress-Fairbanks ISD, the state's third-largest district.

RELATED: 'A step below hell': Video gives inside look at HISD board's dysfunction

Chron.com used the data, which was only available through the 2017-18 year, to compile a list of the top 20 destinations for students transferring out of HISD. The list did not include a single public school district, the most popular of which was Spring Branch ISD with 256 HISD transfer students.

HISD has been under intense scrutiny as it faces poor academic performance among many low-income students, inequities in funding between campuses and unstable administrative leadership, according to previous reports in the Houston Chronicle. District officials have also been dealing with HISD's largest enrollment decline in 12 years.

HISD board members have made headlines multiple times this year, most recently for a video of an undisclosed 7-hour meeting in Mid-October that illustrated stark divides among trustees.

The video shows board members yelling at each other three days after a controversial meeting in which board members voted to oust the interim superintendent. Some board members have since said they're working toward a "healing process."

Julian Gill is a digital reporter in Houston. Read him on our breaking news site, Chron.com, and on our subscriber site, houstonchronicle.com. | julian.gill@chron.com | NEWS WHEN YOU NEED IT: Text CHRON to 77453 to receive breaking news alerts by text message | Sign up for breaking news alerts delivered to your email here.