Alief ISD Partners with Groundwork Outreach to Reach 1,100 Families Who Missed Enrollment
Alief ISD
September 22, 2026
HOUSTON, Texas – September 22, 2026 - Alief Independent School District and Groundwork Outreach, a Texas nonprofit that connects families to public benefits, are going door-to-door together to find out why over 1,100 students missed enrollment or registration this year and to help them complete enrollment.
Rather than guess at the reasons, the two organizations are canvassing the district side by side. Using data to identify no-show households, Groundwork's canvassers and Alief ISD officials are visiting families in person, asking what kept them from enrolling and connecting them to whatever help they need to complete the process.
The reasons may vary, but the sentiment is still the same: You belong here.
The campaign is part of a broader effort by Alief ISD to understand why families leave and what efforts are needed to get them to return. District leaders could have treated these no-show students as a rounding error. Instead, they wanted to know each family's story, one household at a time, to ensure that what the district is offering is best meeting the needs of its community.
"We didn't want to run this from a spreadsheet, so we went into the field together," said Marie Appel, CEO of Groundwork Outreach. "Every one of those 1,100 households has a real reason for not showing up, and the best way to learn it is to stand on the porch and ask. Alief ISD wanted to be part of that conversation directly. That's the kind of district that's serious about the families it serves, and the kind of partner that we love to work with."
Alief ISD superintendent, Dr. Anthony Mays, echoed Appel’s sentiments. “It is important that every child who resides within the boundaries of our district be enrolled in school,” he said. “Our district leaders, Board members, staff, and volunteers care about our students, and it is important that we connect with them and their families and provide them the pathway back home to one of our amazing 49 schools. The children of Alief belong here, and we are grateful for this partnership with Groundwork Outreach to help us reach our goal of enrolling the 1,100 missing students back in our district.”
The canvassing project will take place on Saturday, September 26th.
About Groundwork Outreach
Groundwork Outreach is a Texas-based nonprofit that connects families to unclaimed public benefits, including SNAP, Medicaid, and CHIP, pre-K enrollment, homestead exemptions, and housing assistance, through data-targeted, door-to-door canvassing. The organization works with school districts, health systems, and local governments across Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston.
About Alief ISD:
Alief Independent School District serves roughly 35,000 students across 49 schools in southwest Houston and unincorporated Harris County.
