TEXAS — This school year, Texas saw the largest drop in public school enrollment in nearly 40 years, not including the COVID-19 pandemic.

There was one other exception: some rural school districts.

At Northwest Independent School District, there are plans to turn an empty field into a new high school. 

“It was an excuse that a cow was in the road to be late to school back in the day,” said Sarah Stewart, the chief of facilities for Northwest ISD. “A lot has changed.”

She still remembers what it was like to attend Northwest ISD as a kid.

“We have to make sure our environment for the kids is a perfect learning space, so we work with all of our departments to make sure we are designing things to do their needs,” said Stewart.

Sitting about 20 miles north of downtown Fort Worth, Northwest ISD is still considered rural. But livestock no longer impedes traffic.

“We’re about 35% built out, so we still have a lot of growth happening in our district,” said Stewart.

It’s a unique problem to have, especially compared to neighboring school districts in North Texas.

“It’s complicated,” said Place 1 Secretary Randy Campbell for Keller Independent School District. “I think it’s hard for all of us, but I want to make a decision that’s in the best interest of the students and that’s got to be the bottom line.”

Keller ISD announced last month that it would close three schools after losing over 4,000 students in the last five years. The district said the closures will help save $3 million a year.

“This is a win for Keller ISD,” said Campbell. “It is not a grand slam home run, but I would call it a triple.”

Over the last decade, major urban and suburban Texas districts have found themselves in Keller ISD’s shoes.

According to Texas 2036, urban districts have lost over 17% of their students, or 170,000 kids, in just 10 years. That number is expected to keep increasing as birth rates lower and charter schools become more accessible to urban families.

But rural districts grew by over 13%. At Northwest ISD, it’s not uncommon to see 1,200 new students a year.

“We’ve been consistent for about 25 years now, but this last year was only about 800 kids and we’re only projected this year about 400 so we’re anxious to see that number in October to see if it it really is 400 or if we’re going to get more,” said Stewart.

No matter what that number is, Stewart is prepared with bond funds and rezoning options to do whatever is best for the students 

“Everything we do, we ask, ‘is this of a benefit of a child?’” Stewart said.

In the meantime, a 2023 bond will make way for two new elementary schools and two early childhood centers in the coming years, as well as updates to the central complex. Plus, the new Davis High School will open in the fall of 2027.