Fort Worth ISD school closures among the highest in the state, TEA data shows
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Fort Worth ISD school closures
Officials in the Fort Worth Independent School District say that closing and consolidating more than a dozen campuses will save the district millions of dollars over the next four years, allowing them to redirect more money toward academic priorities.
Here’s what to know.
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The Fort Worth Independent School District recently approved school closures for 18 campuses over the next four years, among the highest numbers seen statewide in recent years. But it’s not the only Texas school district contending with a loss of enrollment and other obstacles that have forced tough decisions like this one to be made.
Data from the Texas Education Agency from the 2019-20 school year through the 2023-24 school year, the latest available, shows other districts in predominantly urban areas closing several campuses due to similar issues. When comparing the historical data of these districts to the upcoming closures of Fort Worth ISD’s 18 campuses, the district had the third highest number of closures statewide. The El Paso Independent School District had the highest number of closures — 23 — from 2019 through 2024, while the San Antonio Independent School District had 20 closures.
The majority of closures in San Antonio ISD took effect at the end of the 2023-24 school year, shuttering more than 15% of its educational facilities, according to the San Antonio Report. In addition to El Paso ISD’s 23 closures, its school board approved the shuttering of eight more elementary schools in November. Six of the schools are slated to close this upcoming school year, and two are slated to close in the 2026-2027 school year.
Here’s how Fort Worth ISD matched up against other Texas districts with the highest number of closures:
El Paso ISD: 23
San Antonio ISD: 20
Fort Worth ISD: 18 (upcoming, 2025-2029)
Ysleta ISD: 14
Dallas ISD: 12
Austin ISD: 11
Harlandale ISD: 10
University of Texas University Charter School: 10
Mullin ISD: 9
Garland ISD: 9
The 18 Fort Worth ISD schools will close in waves, from this upcoming school year through 2029. But before this decision was approved by the school board last month, the district had also closed another 10 campuses and programs from 2019 through 2024, according to TEA data. This included Rosemont Park Elementary, Handley Middle School and MG Ellis Primary Campus.
The former Rosemont Park Elementary building is now part of the Rosemont Middle School campus, undergoing renovations through the district’s 2021 bond program; the former Handley Middle School now houses the Metro Opportunity School, JROTC, Fort Worth After School Program and counseling services; and the former MG Ellis Primary Campus is now utilized for Parent Partnership classes and provides space for district departments such as the Student and Family Experience Division and Specialized Learning Division.
Additionally, closure of Fort Worth ISD’s Forest Oak Sixth went into effect during the 2024-2025 school year. Its closure is separate from the past 10 closures in Fort Worth ISD and the upcoming 18.
Trade-off between disruptions and school quality
Deven Carlson, a political science professor at the University of Oklahoma whose research has focused on the academic impact of school closures, said they have mostly affected urban and rural areas while suburban districts have been less affected. It’s anticipated, though, that pressure will ramp up in suburban neighborhoods, too, as K-12 enrollment has peaked nationwide.
In Fort Worth ISD, the upcoming closures predominantly impact elementary schools. Carlson, who is also the associate director for education at the Institute for Public Policy Research and Analysis at the university, said this is a common thread seen elsewhere.
“The bulk of schools in almost every district are elementary schools. If it’s a demographically-driven decline, that’s where you first see those pressures,” Carlson said. “If a district has, say, 16 elementary schools, four middle schools and two high schools — if you close 25% of schools, it means you’re going to close four elementary schools, one middle school and probably no high schools… It’s just the way that schools are distributed within districts.”
In general, there are disruptive effects that come with closures — such as students having to adjust to a new group of classmates or take a longer bus ride to school — but the question is whether those disruptions can be offset by the quality of schools those students transfer to. This varies depending on location and the context behind the closures. He noted that the community impacts are just as important as the academic ones, but they’re more difficult to quantify and study.
“This is what my research from Ohio showed in the charter sector: You close the worst of the worst charters, students do better because they go to much better schools, subsequently, on average. When you think about the effects in the academic realm, it’s a balance between the disruption and the potential increase in school quality or educational improvement,” Carlson said.
When looking at the academic performances of the closing Fort Worth ISD schools, five out of the 18 schools received an F score in the state’s 2024 A-F accountability rating system. The formula behind scores, administered by TEA, heavily depends on the campus’ performance on the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness exam, or STAAR. The district released self-reported scores for 2024, which were fact checked by TEA, as the state agency was barred from releasing the scores itself amid litigation.
Beyond the five failing scores at these Fort Worth ISD schools, five received a D, four received a C, three received a B and one received an A for 2024. When weighing closures, district officials looked at multiple factors — such as enrollment, building utilization and renovation costs — while drawing from a facilities master plan and community input.
These are the Fort Worth ISD campuses that will be closed by June 2029:
S.S. Dillow Elementary School (Closing in June 2025)
Eastern Hills Elementary School (Closing in June 2025; Getting rebuilt through 2021 bond funding)
Milton L. Kirkpatrick Elementary School (Closing in June 2026)
Charles E. Nash Elementary School (Closing in June 2026)
Riverside Applied Learning Center (Closing in June 2026)
Edward J. Briscoe Elementary School (Closing in June 2026)
De Zavala Elementary School (Closing in June 2027)
A.M. Pate Elementary School (Closing in June 2027)
J.T. Stevens Elementary School (Closing in June 2027)
Atwood McDonald Elementary School (Closing in June 2027)
McLean 6th Grade Center (Closing in June 2028)
West Handley Elementary School (Closing in June 2028)
Harlean Beal Elementary School (Closing in June 2028)
H.V. Helbing Elementary School (Closing in June 2028)
Sunrise-McMillan Elementary School (Closing in June 2028)
Kirkpatrick Middle School (Closing in June 2029)
Morningside Middle School (Closing in June 2029)
Hubbard Heights Elementary School (Closing in June 2029)
This story was originally published June 12, 2025 at 5:24 PM.
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