Fast-growing Northwest district opening new high school

Ten years ago, pastures dotted the rural landscape of far north Fort Worth and nearby small towns.

Today, sprawling subdivisions have sprouted across the region, and construction has begun on new businesses, such as Facebook’s new data center east of Alliance Airport.

To accommodate the explosive growth, the Northwest school district will open its third high school Tuesday, V.R. Eaton, named for the Wise County rancher who helped found the district.

“We have seen fast growth, and a lot of potential remains for more growth,” said Jerry Cantu, the district’s community engagement coordinator. “Much of our district is still rural, but that’s quickly changing.”

Five years ago, when districts like Mansfield and Keller were overwhelmed with growth, 15 new schools opened in the Tarrant County region.

But now, as the population boom continues to wind down, most districts are not seeing the need for new schools.

Besides Eaton High, new schools will open this week in the Arlington and Mansfield districts. And only one of those, Arlington’s Diane Patrick Elementary, is a new building.

Judy K. Miller Elementary will open Monday as a school within a school in the Mansfield district. Miller Elementary students will share facilities with Harmon Elementary students while their campus is being rebuilt.

At 234 square miles, Northwest is one of the physically largest school districts in North Texas, serving families in 14 cities and three counties — Tarrant, Denton and Wise.

Housing growth is centered in the district’s west side, in far north Fort Worth, Haslet and Rhome. Trophy Club, Roanoke and much of the Alliance Corridor lie to the east.

Northwest is the second-fastest-growing district in the region, behind only Frisco. The district now has roughly 21,000 students, about twice as many as five years ago. Build-out will reach 90,000 to 100,000 students, district demographers predict, surpassing the Fort Worth school district.

Eaton, which is in Fort Worth, was built as part of a $255 million bond referendum approved by voters in 2012. Construction will soon begin on a nearby middle school, scheduled to open in 2017.

Eaton, with floor-to-ceiling windows, has pod-style classrooms that promote an open learning environment, movable sofas and chairs and an 800-seat performing arts center, Principal Carri Eddy said.

“From a design perspective, Eaton is very different from most area high schools,” she said. “It has a flexible learning space that mirrors a college campus environment and allows for greater collaboration for students and teachers.”

Northwest’s Academy of Business Management and Entrepreneurship will open this year at Eaton, Eddy said, and an aviation and aerospace-focused academy will launch next year.

The school will initially have about 1,100 students, only freshmen and sophomores, eventually reaching about 3,000 students. Students live mostly in Fort Worth, Haslet and Newark.

“The community support has been incredible,” Eddy said. “People feel like this school is right in their back yards, and students will no longer have to take long bus rides across the district. This is a true community school.”

This story was originally published August 22, 2015 at 8:28 AM with the headline "Fast-growing Northwest district opening new high school."