Dripping Springs ISD's newest elementary school will be named Wildwood Springs, following a 5-1 vote by the board of trustees Jan. 27.

The details

The board of trustees received three recommendations from the Name Recommendation Committee, consisting of students, parents, community members and district staff.

The final list of recommendations included Emerald Springs, Bluebonnet Springs and Wildwood Springs, ranked from first to third.

Before voting, trustees discussed the recommended names and considered the potential for a future middle school nearby. Considering the potential school, some trustees said “Wildwood” works better for both an elementary and middle school name over “Emerald.”


“What might make me recommend Wildwood Springs would simply be the master plan we have for that site to colocate an elementary school and middle school together,” trustee Rob McClelland said. “If we need to keep that on the table, I think it would make sense to probably go with Wildwood Springs given the sixth through eighth [grade] component of that and leave Emerald Springs in the reserve.”

Based on demographic and enrollment projections from the district, Dripping Springs Middle School will exceed capacity by the 2027-28 academic year with a projected 1,330 students, 130 students over the planned capacity limit. The school will exceed 120% of capacity by the 2028-29 academic year with a projected 1,498 students.

Sycamore Springs Middle School is already over capacity, but is working on an expansion project to accommodate more students. The middle school renovations are expected to be completed by April.

DSISD officials did not respond in time for publication regarding questions on when or where a new middle school would potentially be constructed.


How we got here

The recommendations came from reviewing data from a public survey and deliberations during Name Recommendation Committee meetings, Executive Director of Communications Jennifer Edwards said during a presentation at the Jan. 27 board meeting.

The survey data came from a form released by the district for community members to offer input on the potential names for the new elementary school, as previously reported by Community Impact. The survey, which was open from Sept. 10 to Oct. 11, received 2,139 responses from parents, students, district employees and other community members, according to district documents.

The community survey listed 16 existing springs inside of and just outside of the district boundaries. District documents show Emerald Springs received the most votes followed by Wildwood Springs.


During a committee meeting, the committee was split into two tables to cast their recommendation votes, both choosing Emerald Springs as the top choice. In an 8-5 vote of the entire committee, members chose Emerald Springs as the final top choice for recommendation. In an 8-4 vote, Wildwood Springs won third place over Barton Springs, Edwards said.

While the naming committee liked Emerald for an elementary school, committee members also liked Wildwood as a middle school name, she said.

Trustee Kim Cousins was the only trustee present who voted against the name. Before the vote, she said she wanted to consider the work of the committee as well as public input.

“We put these committees together to help us to make recommendations, and both tables came up with Emerald Springs,” she said during the meeting. “I'm one of those that really leans towards the hours that those community groups put together. It’s time that they take away from their families to take part in something. I like a lot of these names, but I value the work of committees that do their best to come together and make recommendations in this district, and I really want to listen to what they have to say.”


Board member Olivia Barnard also cited the survey data and committee research as something to consider.

“I like both of the names [Wildwood and Emerald Springs],” Barnard said before the vote. “But I will lean more towards what the committee came back with because of the data. I’m going to go with what the majority of the will of the board is, but for me, I leaned towards Emerald for the same purpose.”

Barnard voted in favor of the name Wildwood Springs.

Board members and staff also noted that the names Emerald Springs and Cherry Springs have come up before in the past, specifically with the naming process of what is now Cypress Springs.


“I was looking at the survey results from Cyprus and right behind Cyprus was Emerald, Wildwood and Cherry,” Edwards said. “I have a pretty strong feeling we're gonna have an Emerald and we're gonna have a Cherry Springs at some point because those names keep popping up.”

Board member Mary Jane Hetrick was not in attendance at the meeting and did not cast a vote.

Learn more

Wildwood Springs is an actual spring located west of Nutty Brown Road on Wildwood Hills Lane, according to a news release. The spring is located about 9 miles east of the new elementary school in the Headwaters neighborhood.

Construction of Wildwood Springs is ongoing. The school is set to officially open in August, officials said.