Lake Worth ISD taxpayers will pay the same school property tax rate this year, while the school tax bill on a median-valued home will be about $112 lower than last year, according to appraisal district data.
The district’s state-appointed board of managers unanimously adopted a tax rate of $1.2265 per $100 of taxable property value Sept. 16, the same total rate Lake Worth ISD adopted last year. Education Commissioner Mike Morath appointed the five-member board in April.
The rate includes 72.65 cents for maintenance and operations, which pays the district’s day-to-day expenses, and 50 cents for debt payments.
Lake Worth ISD’s maintenance and operations rate has steadily declined in recent years, falling from $1.0191 in 2021, Chief Financial Officer DeAnne Page told managers. The district’s 50-cent debt rate has remained unchanged over that period.
Tarrant Appraisal District records show the median taxable value of a Lake Worth ISD home fell from $86,758 in 2025 to $77,650 this year. That homeowner would owe about $952 in Lake Worth ISD taxes this year, compared to about $1,064 last year — a decrease of about $112.
Taxable value is the amount used to calculate property taxes after exemptions and other adjustments are applied.
Individual homeowners’ bills can differ based on their property values and exemptions.
Texas requires school districts to exempt $140,000 of a homeowner’s primary residence from taxation. Tarrant Appraisal District records show 2,264 Lake Worth ISD homeowners received the state-mandated general homestead exemption in 2026. Those exemptions removed about $302.5 million in property value from taxation.
The appraisal district also lists exemptions for homeowners who are over 65, disabled or qualify under other provisions. For example, homeowners who are 65 or older or disabled can receive an additional $60,000 school district exemption.
Lake Worth ISD’s taxpayer impact statement lists different estimates. It puts the tax bill on what it calls a median-valued homestead at $2,807.85 this year, down about $55 from last year.
Those estimated bills equal the listed home values multiplied by the tax rate without subtracting exemptions. However, the statement says the estimated bills are based on taxable value, or appraised value after exemptions.
Page did not immediately respond to Fort Worth Report questions clarifying how the district calculated the figures.
At a board meeting, Page cautioned managers that the district’s 2026 figures are estimates based on currently available information.
The tax rate will help support Lake Worth ISD’s 2026-27 budget. The district adopted a general fund budget during a June board meeting with about $39.8 million in projected revenue and $41.2 million in spending, leaving a roughly $1.38 million shortfall.
During that June meeting, Superintendent Ena Meyers told managers the shortfall was planned.
“We are working toward restoring our financial stability while also improving our student outcomes,” Meyers told managers. “We are not deficit cutting for its own sake.”
Matthew Sgroi is an education reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at matthew.sgroi@fortworthreport.org or @matthewsgroi1.
Disclosure: Lake Worth ISD manager Tom Harris is an executive vice president at Hillwood, a financial supporter of the Fort Worth Report. News decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
This <a target=”_blank” href=”https://fortworthreport.org/2026/09/27/lake-worth-isd-keeps-property-tax-rate-flat-as-median-valued-homes-bill-drops/”>article</a> first appeared on <a target=”_blank” href=”https://fortworthreport.org”>Fort Worth Report</a> and is republished here under a <a target=”_blank” href=”https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/”>Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License</a>.<img src=”https://i0.wp.com/fortworthreport.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/cropped-favicon.png?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1″ style=”width:1em;height:1em;margin-left:10px;”>
<img id=”republication-tracker-tool-source” src=”https://fortworthreport.org/?republication-pixel=true&post=801090&ga4=2820184429″ style=”width:1px;height:1px;”><script> PARSELY = { autotrack: false, onload: function() { PARSELY.beacon.trackPageView({ url: “https://fortworthreport.org/2026/09/27/lake-worth-isd-keeps-property-tax-rate-flat-as-median-valued-homes-bill-drops/”, urlref: window.location.href }); } } </script> <script id=”parsely-cfg” src=”//cdn.parsely.com/keys/fortworthreport.org/p.js”></script>