Lone Star College enrolled 100,023 students for the fall 2026 semester, crossing the 100,000 mark for the first time in the system's 54-year history.

The milestone, announced Monday, Sept. 14, represents a 2.81% increase from fall 2025, when 97,294 students were enrolled. Fall enrollment has climbed 17.45% since 2022, according to Community Impact, which first reported the figures from a Lone Star College System (LSCS) news release.

When the system opened in 1972, it served 613 students.

Christina Hagerty, LSCS senior associate vice chancellor of curriculum and instruction, said in the release that the system is proud to serve each of its students and is committed to equipping them for the workforce across the Houston region.

LSCS is the largest institution of higher education in the Houston area. It operates eight colleges, six centers and eight Workforce Centers of Excellence. LSC-North Harris, at 20515 SH 249, is the campus closest to Spring-area families.

The system has set enrollment records in consecutive semesters. Fall 2024 was the first time LSCS topped 90,000 students. By spring 2026, the system reached 97,221 students, its highest spring count ever, with a 79.7% fall-to-spring retention rate, according to an LSCS news release.

In fall 2025, nearly 29,000 students were taking dual-credit courses, and about 4,650 were veterans, according to LSCS enrollment data. About 31% of all students received financial aid that semester.

At the system's fall convocation on Aug. 31, Chancellor Mario K. Castillo addressed faculty and staff when enrollment stood at roughly 97,000.

"To walk up to a counter and say, 'I want more than I have,' is an act of courage, and it falls on us to help individuals get from where they are to where they want to be," Castillo said at the event, as reported by Woodlands Online.

Two weeks later, enrollment cleared six figures.

In-district students pay an average of $1,332 per semester in tuition, according to the LSCS website. The system offers more than 200 degree and certification programs with in-person, online and hybrid options.

LSCS trustees are scheduled to meet Wednesday, Sept. 16, to discuss the system's tax rate.