Harper Hargrove, 17, a senior at Mansfield High School, helps pre-K students sound out words while interning at Jandrucko Early Learners Academy on Nov. 6, 2025.
Amanda McCoy
amccoy@star-telegram.com
Tarrant County’s public pre-K enrollment dropped 2.7% from 2024-25 to 2025-26, the first substantial decline since the pandemic. But some districts are growing so fast they’re building schools just for preschoolers.
FULL STORY: Where is pre-K enrollment growing, declining in Tarrant? Here’s what to know
Here are key takeaways:
Tarrant pre-K enrollment grew 12.5% from 2021-22 to 2025-26, rising from 14,597 to 16,422 students, even as total district enrollment across all grades fell. The recent dip is driven largely by declines in Fort Worth and Arlington ISDs, which together account for 46% of county pre-K enrollment.Northwest ISD opens its first of four early childhood centers this year, funded by a $2 billion bond approved by voters in 2023. The Dr. David Hicks Early Childhood Center will serve about 275 students, with a second campus tentatively slated for 2028.Mansfield ISD’s Dr. Sarah Jandrucko Early Learners Academy serves about 300 preschoolers and won an H-E-B Excellence in Education Award last year as the state’s top pre-K campus. A second academy under construction is expected to serve nearly 800 students when it opens in 2027-28.Lake Worth ISD and Keller ISD have lost 38% and 13% of pre-K students, respectively, over the past five years. Keller officials point to declining birthrates, reduced resident mobility and expanded school choice.Tarrant County accounted for 456 of the roughly 800 pre-K students lost statewide in 2025-26. Kym Shaw, executive director of the Early Learning Alliance, said no one has been able to explain why the drop is concentrated in Tarrant, though tensions around immigration enforcement near campuses may be a factor given the county’s predominantly Hispanic pre-K population.
The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists. The full story in the link at top was reported, written and edited entirely by journalists.
Related Stories from Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Lina Ruiz covers early childhood education in Tarrant County and North Texas for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. A University of Florida graduate, she previously wrote about local government in South Florida for TCPalm and Treasure Coast Newspapers.