This North Texas playground was ranked as one of the most inclusive in country in new list
Playgrounds are transforming to accommodate children of all abilities, and one North Texas playground is a big part of that change.
In late May, Soliant — a company that connects healthcare workers with jobs — released its list of the 10 Best Inclusive School Playgrounds in America for 2025.
Of the 10 schools, three were in Texas, including one just 30 minutes away from Fort Worth.
Here’s what to know.
Raymond E. Curtis Elementary School ranks No. 5
Soliant emphasized that many schools across the country are taking steps to make their spaces more inclusive, but the best ones have ingrained accessibility and inclusion into their design.
Raymond E. Curtis Elementary School, located in Weatherford, ranked No. 5 in Soliant’s list of the Best Inclusive School Playgrounds in America of 2025.
The playground includes wheelchair-accessible ramps, inclusive climbing equipment, a sound board and traditional items such as slides and climbing rings, according to a Weatherford Independent School District YouTube video.
Soliant praised Curtis Elementary for ensuring that all children are able to play — and also praised Weatherford ISD for not just upgrading the Curtis playground, but all school playgrounds in the district.
The district partnered with Total Recreation Products for a $1 million playground renovation after a Curtis Elementary student with cerebral palsy was unable to play on the playground, according to Soliant. The Weatherford ISD school board then met and unanimously approved building inclusive playgrounds across all seven of its elementary schools.
Sami Gibson, the mother who initiated the change at Curtis Elementary, was ecstatic about the playground during its opening in 2018.
“When I had [my daughter] I began to see where she couldn’t go,” Gibson told the Star-Telegram in 2018. “But thanks to this, a playground is no longer one of those places.”
Weatherford ISD’s playgrounds use PlayCore’s “7 Principles of Inclusive Playground Design.”
The 7 Principles of Inclusive Playground Design is a program developed with Utah State University’s Center for Persons with Disabilities to help organizations create accessible and inclusive environments.
The PlayCore website states that the program meets “the developmental needs of the whole child” through “physical, cognitive, communicative, social/emotional and sensory development.”
Raymond E. Curtis Elementary School is located at 501 West Russell Street, Weatherford, Texas 76086.
Two other Texas schools place No. 2 and No. 9
The judges at Soliant evaluated “remarkable school playgrounds” across the nation on five criteria, including how each playground:
- Goes beyond basic accessibility and allows all children to play
- Includes designs for many physical, cognitive and sensory needs
- Involves the community in creating and sustaining the inclusive environment
- Is innovative in converting traditional play ideas into ideas that children of all abilities can enjoy
- Allows all children to interact based on the spatial design
“These extraordinary playgrounds represent more than equipment and surfacing—they embody a powerful belief that play is a fundamental right for every child,” the Soliant judges wrote.
Two schools in southern Texas were also made the list, making Texas the state with the most inclusive school playgrounds according to Soliant.
Park Lakes Elementary School in Humble, Texas was ranked No. 2 in Soliant’s Best Inclusive School Playgrounds in America of 2025.
The school’s safari-themed playground includes animal sculptures, a sensory wall, ramps and a communication sign for non-verbal students, according to Soliant. “Every detail was created with accessibility and engagement in mind,” the Salient judges wrote.
Park Lakes Elementary School is located at 4400 Wilson Road, Humble, Texas 77396.
Beethoven Elementary in Edinburg, Texas was ranked No. 9.
Vanguard Academy Beethoven City Park playground utilizes a musical theme with a communication board, musical instruments, the We-Go-Swing and other traditional play equipment, all while ensuring sounds don’t disturb children with auditory sensitivities, Soliant judges wrote.
Beethoven Elementary is located at 2215 South Veterans Blvd, Edinburg, Texas 78539.
The rest of Soliant’s best inclusive playgrounds in the U.S.
- Glen Lake Elementary School - Minnetonka, Minn.
- Park Lakes Elementary School - Humble, Texas
- C.W. Longer Elementary School - Hollidaysburg, Pa.
- Congress School - Sturgis, Mich.
- Raymond E. Curtis Elementary School - Weatherford, Texas
- Wales Primary School - East Aurora, N.Y.
- Cooke School - Northville, Mich.
- Augusta Evans School - Mobile, Ala.
- Beethoven Elementary - Edinburg, Texas
- Payne Elementary School - Washington, D.C.
This story was originally published June 18, 2025 at 5:25 PM.