The Northwest ISD board of trustees accepted all portions of the recommended attendance boundary proposal during its regular meeting Jan. 23.

As the fastest growing district in the Dallas-Fort Worth region, student enrollment in NISD increases by approximately 2,200 students annually, according to the district's website. As part of Proposition A of the 2021 bond election, two new elementary schools and one new middle school are being constructed. In addition, Hatfield Elementary School, Seven Hills Elementary School and Pike Middle School are all being replaced with new schools. Due to the rapidly increasing student population, along with these new schools being built, NISD will rezone attendance boundaries at all campus levels for the 2023-24 school year.

District administrators met with Zonda Education, the district’s demographics consultant, as well as principals at the campuses that are affected by possible changes to their attendance boundaries several times in 2022 to discuss attendance boundaries. In December, a recommendation for the 2023-24 academic year was made to the board that included the following attendance boundary changes, according to the district's website:
  • The district will open Molly Livengood Carter and Johnie Daniel elementary schools next year. Carter Elementary School's opening will provide relief for Haslet, Sendera Ranch and Thompson elementary schools.
  • Additionally, a portion of the Prairie View attendance boundary without students will be rezoned to Carter to plan for future development.
  • Daniel Elementary School's opening will provide relief for Justin and Lance Thompson elementary schools.
  • C.W. Worthington Middle School will open next year in the fastest-growing area of the district, providing relief for neighboring Adams and Wilson middle schools in Haslet.
  • Additionally, boundary changes to provide relief for Pike Middle School's surging enrollment will affect Chisholm Trail and Medlin middle schools in Rhome and Trophy Club, respectively.
  • While NISD will not open a new high school campus until 2026 or 2027—contingent upon voter approval of a future bond proposal to meet that timeline—abundant growth in the V.R. Eaton High School zone requires relief for that campus. Both Northwest and Byron Nelson high schools will be affected, as Northwest will take a portion of Eaton's zone, while Byron Nelson will take a portion of Northwest's zone to best provide balance across the three comprehensive high schools.
As part of the attendance boundary recommendation process, once these initial recommendations were made, district administrators conducted four community meetings in January to discuss and re-evaluate them.

According to NISD's website, the following changes were made to the original proposal:
  • The existing Justin Elementary School boundary line south of FM 407, including Meadowlands, will remain zoned for Justin. This change only affects elementary school boundaries.
  • Avery Ranch, Falcon Ridge, Guy James Ranch and Willow Crossing elementary schools will remain zoned for Pike Middle School. This change only affects middle school boundaries.
  • In Sendera Ranch, the existing Sendera Ranch streets next to Wilson Middle School, such as Enchanted Sky Lane, will remain zoned for Sendera Ranch Elementary School and Eaton High School. This change affects both elementary school and high school boundaries.
District administrators also recommended that transfer options remain at existing campuses. Students starting fifth grade next school year would be eligible to remain at their existing elementary school. Students starting eighth grade next school year would be eligible to remain at their existing middle school. Students starting 11th and 12th grade next school year would be eligible to remain at their existing high school. Students choosing to remain would not receive bus transportation, and younger siblings would not be eligible. Those policies are standard district practice when rezoning attendance boundaries that are recommended for board approval with each rezoning, according to NISD's website.

All students who will be sophomores in the 2023-24 school year would also be allowed to remain at their campus under the proposal, if desired. This is in addition to the previously announced ability for juniors and seniors to remain. As with all students who are eligible to remain at their campus and do so, district-provided transportation would not be offered, and families must submit a transfer request for district record-keeping purposes, according to the district's website.


During his presentation to the board of trustees, Tim McClure, NISD assistant superintendent for facilities, stated that trying to keep ahead of the development in NISD is a game of chess between the district and the developers. Even though the school buildings that are part of the 2021 bond package have yet to be completed, district administrators are already looking two to four years into the future to determine what other new facilities need to be constructed.

McClure mentioned that while Pike Middle School is getting a new facility that has increased capacity from its 1,100 students to 1,200, “they’re going to spend a couple years pretty tight until we can get that 2026 middle school open.”

McClure also addressed the importance of keeping the lines of communication open and getting feedback from the community to help address the “ping-pong” or “rubber band” effect that has occurred in several NISD neighborhoods where children have moved to different schools various times because of the rapid development of the district.

Newly appointed Superintendent Mark Foust praised the efforts of administrators in their efforts to be proactive and engage with the community to find the best possible solutions when it comes to changing attendance boundaries.


“To expand the opportunities for kids, be responsive to the parents’ concerns and make adjustments that fit with the data is a reminder that Northwest ISD is very student-centered and very responsive to our community," Foust said.