A lot of logistical questions come into play during realignment for multi-school districts.
The University Interscholastic League keeps schools that are a part of the same independent school district, and same classification, in the same athletic district, but the schools joining them won’t be clear until Monday, when the UIL announces its decisions for the 2026-28 alignment.
For example, District 5-5A Division I the past two cycles has been composed mostly of Frisco ISD schools and most recently added McKinney North and Sherman. Previously, the district had Denton Ryan and Denton in those two spots.
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A similar question looms for Arlington ISD in Class 6A, with five schools: Arlington, Bowie, Lamar, Martin and Sam Houston. The last three realignments have paired Arlington with Grand Prairie ISD and Haltom in forming an eight-team District 8-6A.
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Three cycles is a long time — six years — so it’d be safe to assume that trend continues, right?
But before 2020, the Arlington schools were placed as far west as District 4 alongside Crowley ISD, Fort Worth schools and even Weatherford.
In fact, there’s been a common cycle with Arlington’s placements every realignment, there seems to be a shakeup of some sorts every three cycles, or six years.
From 2014 to 2020, it was in District 4-6A, and before that, District 2-5A with Fort Worth Paschal, before the creation of Class 6A.
There was even a time, during the early to mid-2000s, where Arlington was placed with Duncanville, DeSoto and Cedar Hill.
“Whether we go to District 4 or whether we go to District 8 has always depended on how many teams out west they have to make a district and whether they need us or not,” said Arlington head coach Scott Peach, who’s been leading the program since 2003.
Though Weatherford has been paired with Arlington in the past, Aledo making the jump to 6A means Weatherford and Granbury will probably go with it, so a jump to District 4 for the Arlington schools doesn’t seem as likely.
Would the UIL send Arlington schools almost an hour west to Weatherford and Granbury when there are other nearby school districts such as Crowley (North Crowley and Crowley) or Irving (Irving, Irving MacArthur and Irving Nimitz)?
A combination of Arlington and Crowley ISD or Mansfield ISD programs in District 3 to form a seven- or eight-team district seems more likely than District 4.
“There’s several districts in D-FW that it looks like they’re locked, but for us, it’s kind of a crapshoot right now,” Peach said. “We could go with the Mansfields, we could go with the Grand Prairies and Haltom. We could go with the Irving schools, so it’s really up in the air. That’s very interesting for us because we just don’t know where we’re headed.”
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