Next school year, Fort Worth students begin classes on Aug. 21

If you attend Fort Worth schools, mark your 2017-2018 back-to-school calendar.

Students will start classes on Aug. 21, a day earlier than classes began this school year. The Fort Worth school district started classes this academic year on Aug. 22, 2016, which was also the fourth Monday of August.

In Texas, the first day of school can’t start earlier than the fourth Monday of August. That rule means the school district was looking at an Aug. 28 start date with the last day of school falling on June 8, 2018. Under the Fort Worth school district’s recently approved Aug. 21 start day, the last day of the 2017-2018 school year is June 1, 2018.

The Fort Worth school district is able to make a change under its status as a District of Innovation. The status gives districts flexibility under state law.

Districts of Innovation were developed by the Legislature two years ago. The designation gives traditional school districts freedoms available to Texas’ open-enrollment charter schools. The Fort Worth school district began the process of becoming a District of Innovation last October.

The new back-to-school start date marks the district’s first step as a District of Innovation, or DOI.

“Our District of Innovation plan will truly represent what is special and important to the Fort Worth ISD community as we look to the future,” Superintendent Kent Scribner said in a press release. “As a District of Innovation, we will be able to introduce new ideas and methods to prepare all students for college, career and community leadership.”

This report contains material from the Star-Telegram archives.

This story was originally published March 24, 2017 at 5:02 PM with the headline "Next school year, Fort Worth students begin classes on Aug. 21."