North Texas public schools look markedly different than they did a decade ago, with some districts seeing major increases in Asian enrollment, others becoming increasingly Hispanic, and fast-growing communities adding thousands of students along the way.<\/p>\n
A review of Texas Education Agency enrollment data for five North Texas districts \u2014 Plano, Dallas, McKinney, Celina, and Frisco \u2014 shows that the changes are not uniform.<\/p>\n
In some districts, racial and ethnic shifts have been substantial, while others have remained comparatively stable.<\/p>\n
Frisco Has Seen One of the Largest Shifts<\/p>\n
Among the five districts reviewed, Frisco ISD has experienced the most pronounced increase in Asian enrollment.<\/p>\n
According to the Texas Education Agency\u2019s student enrollment reports<\/a>, as presented<\/a> in the Texas Tribune Schools Explorer, Asian students accounted for 44.9% of Frisco ISD enrollment in 2026, up 24 percentage points from 2016. The district currently enrolls 62,713 students across 76 campuses.<\/p>\n That means Asian enrollment has gone from roughly one-fifth of the district\u2019s students a decade ago to nearly half today.<\/p>\n The change is also visible at individual campuses. At Lone Star High School<\/a>, for example, White students represented 33.4% of enrollment in 2026, down 16.5 percentage points from 2016.<\/p>\n At Wakeland High School<\/a>, White enrollment was 51.6% in 2026, down 19.9 percentage points from 2016.<\/p>\n The numbers demonstrate an important distinction: district-wide demographics do not necessarily describe every campus. Frisco\u2019s high schools vary substantially in their racial and ethnic composition.<\/p>\n Plano\u2019s Changes Have Been More Mixed<\/p>\n Plano ISD has also changed considerably, although its demographic movement differs from Frisco\u2019s.<\/p>\n The district had 43,979<\/a> students in 2026, down 19.4% from 2016, according to the Texas Tribune\u2019s analysis of state enrollment data. At the same time, Hispanic enrollment increased to 30.1%, up 6.3 percentage points from 2016.<\/p>\n Plano\u2019s high schools also illustrate the district\u2019s significant Asian population.<\/p>\n Asian students accounted for 32.8% of enrollment at Plano East Senior High School<\/a> in 2026, up 5.9 percentage points from 2016. At Plano West Senior High School<\/a>, Asian enrollment was 29.8%, up 5.5 points over the same period.<\/p>\n Some Plano middle and elementary schools have considerably higher Asian enrollment. Rice Middle<\/a>, for example, was 63.4% Asian in 2026, although that represented a 2.5-point decline from 2016.<\/p>\n The figures show that demographic change in Plano has not simply been a one-directional increase in one racial group. Hispanic enrollment has increased, Asian enrollment remains substantial, and the district\u2019s overall student population has declined.<\/p>\n McKinney Has Become Less White and More Diverse<\/p>\n McKinney ISD has experienced another significant shift.<\/p>\n The district enrolled 23,823<\/a> students in 2026, according to state data analyzed by the Texas Tribune. White students accounted for 38.3% of enrollment, down 12.7 percentage points from 2016.<\/p>\n The change is visible at McKinney\u2019s three comprehensive high schools.<\/p>\n At McKinney High School<\/a>, White enrollment was 37.6% in 2026, down 10.9 points from 2016. McKinney North High School<\/a> was 36.1% White, down 13.7 points, while McKinney Boyd High School<\/a> was 51% White, down 13.4 points.<\/p>\n The differences between the campuses again show why district-wide statistics cannot be treated as a prediction for an individual school.<\/p>\n Celina Is Changing Fastest by Percentage<\/p>\n Celina presents a different picture because its student population is growing at a much faster rate.<\/p>\n Celina ISD had 6,354<\/a> students in 2026, an increase of 170% since 2016, according to the Texas Tribune\u2019s analysis of TEA enrollment data. Over the same period, the White share<\/a> of enrollment fell 26 percentage points, to 40.6%.<\/p>\n Celina High School<\/a> currently has 1,519 students, and White students account for 52.8% of its enrollment, down 17.2 points from 2016.<\/p>\n The district\u2019s younger grades show how quickly the demographic composition can change as new families move into a rapidly developing community. Celina\u2019s Early Childhood School<\/a> was 54.3% Asian in 2026, according to the same state enrollment data.<\/p>\n But that figure should not be interpreted as a forecast that Celina High School will eventually have the same composition. Students move between campuses, new housing changes enrollment patterns, and the racial composition of incoming classes can differ from older grades.<\/p>\n Dallas Tells a Different Story<\/p>\n Dallas ISD\u2019s demographic trajectory is substantially different from the suburban districts to its north.<\/p>\n Dallas ISD enrolled 134,308<\/a> students in 2026, making it by far the largest district in this comparison. Hispanic students represented 71.2% of enrollment, up only 1.1 percentage points from 2016.<\/p>\n The district\u2019s relatively modest change in its Hispanic share contrasts sharply with the much larger shifts seen in Frisco, Celina, and McKinney.<\/p>\n Individual Dallas campuses can nonetheless look very different from the district average. At W.T. White High School<\/a>, for example, Hispanic students represented 83.6% of enrollment in 2026, up 6.1 points from 2016.<\/p>\n