Fort Worth ISD wants to teach pre-K students at high schools. Here’s why.
The Fort Worth Independent School District plans to serve more than 200 additional pre-K-3 students in the 2026-27 school year. It also wants to provide a career pathway opportunity for high schoolers.
Fort Worth ISD officials are in the process of cutting down the district’s waitlist of 3-year-old pre-kindergarten students who are eligible to attend free pre-K, said Chief of Staff Louis Kushner. Out of about 400 students in line, there will be about 225 seats filled in the upcoming school year at select schools across the district. At the same time, officials are looking to offer seats at three high school campuses through a pilot program that would also give high school students the chance to earn an industry certification in the early childhood education field while acting as an assistant teacher or student-teacher.
“It’s benefiting the community for pre-K students, and it’s benefiting our high school students with industry certification through the early childhood pathway,” Kushner said. “Every conversation I keep having with staff and with parents in the community is: they need more affordable options for pre-K. And the superintendent wants to ensure that as we are programming things for our district, that that’s one of the goals.”
The district is still finalizing which three high schools will house these students, Kushner said.
There is no requirement for Texas school districts to serve 3-year-olds, but districts may offer pre-K classes if there are at least 15 eligible children identified within the district, according to the Texas Education Agency. If a pre-K-3 program is offered, districts can create a waiting list or lottery through a local policy. For both pre-K-3 and pre-K-4 programs at public schools, families must meet qualifying criteria based on income, military status, English proficiency and more.
Fort Worth ISD has offered pre-K-3 at select campuses and will serve students at the following elementary schools in the 2026-27 school year:
- Bill J. Elliott Elementary
- Carroll Peak Elementary
- Morningside Elementary
- T.A. Sims Elementary
- Van Zandt-Guinn Elementary
- C.C. Moss Elementary
- Leadership Academy at Maude Logan Elementary
The district also has partnerships with Head Start and community childcare providers to serve pre-K 3 students at centers separate from Fort Worth ISD campuses. Head Start is a free federal program that provides qualifying families with childcare services. Partnerships with school districts can give working families more flexibility with childcare outside of school hours.
Kushner emphasized how expanding pre-K-3 options supports early literacy and reading proficiency.
“The earlier we can access our students that are coming to us for K-12, it will better prepare them for our literacy rates to increase,” he said.
Fort Worth ISD parents weigh in
Erika Ramos, a parent whose oldest son is enrolling in Fort Worth ISD’s pre-K-4 program in the fall and whose youngest son is attending a private pre-K-3 program, said she would have questions about curriculum and logistics with pre-K classrooms at high school campuses.
For example, she would wonder about infrastructure, including bathrooms that are designed for younger children and playgrounds being available for outdoor play. She also wonders about the structure of involving high school students, and how that would look in practice.
“I think about things like nap time, right? Kids in pre-K-3 are still napping for the most part, and how does that work with alarm bells going off for the high school students to transfer classrooms? How are you going to create a calming environment for them when they’re in that time?” Ramos asked.
Brenda Ciardiello, a Fort Worth ISD parent with two middle-school children who’ve been enrolled in the district since pre-K and a high school student who enrolled in third grade, said she would have considered enrolling them in the district earlier if the opportunity was available at the time. She also likes the idea of offering high school students hands-on experience while the district serves 3-year-old students.
“The idea that they could get into the ISD where they’re going to be, and start kind of building connection and community where they’re going to be for the rest of their school experience is really important,” she said.
Both Ramos and Ciardiello also noted the value of dual-language programming being provided as soon as possible to pre-K students, so they can learn Spanish and English at the same time. They hope that’s incorporated into the district’s expansion for pre-K-3 students.
“I think the sooner you can get that access to language exposure, the better,” Ciardiello said.
Parents can sign up for Fort Worth ISD pre-K through the district’s Parent Portal webpage.
