Northwest ISD Executive Director of Construction Tommy Osborne provided an update to trustees during their regular board meeting Feb. 25. The list of facilities under construction include high schools, middle schools and elementary schools across the district.

The gist

Osborne included the following 10 facilities on his list as well as the completion percentage of each one:
  • Northwest High School - 90% complete
  • McCreary Multipurpose Facility - 99% complete
  • New NISD Administration Building - 60% complete
  • Prairie View Replacement Elementary School - 58% complete
  • Justin Replacement Elementary School - 48% complete
  • Nance ES – Additions & Renovations - 50% complete
  • NISD Distribution Center – Phase 2 Renovations - 89% complete
  • NISD Stadium Renovations - 60% complete
  • Barksdale Middle School #8 - 20% complete
  • High School #4 - 3% complete
Beyond the list of projects currently under construction, Osborne said the projects slated for Eaton and Byron Nelson high schools, which include new stadiums; gym and cafeteria expansions; and balcony additions, will parallel each other in terms of timelines.

Those projects should begin at various times this spring and will be completed during the 2026-27 school year.

Diving in deeper


Funding for these capital projects and renovations comes from the district’s $2 billion bond package that passed in May 2023. Projects from that bond are helping to accommodate the rapid growth in student enrollment that is not expected to end anytime soon.

Bob Templeton, vice president of school district segment for Zonda Education, was clear about the impending growth the district will see during a Jan. 9, 2023 presentation to the board of trustees.

“You are going to be experiencing the fastest growth of any districts in the Dallas-Fort Worth region,” he said.

In addition to being the fastest-growing school district in the region, NISD is also one of the largest in terms of distance. At 234 square miles, NISD encompasses more than four times the area districts, such as Keller ISD at 51 square miles and Grapevine-Colleyville ISD at 54 square miles, do.


Neighboring district Denton ISD contains all or parts of 18 cities, communities or major developments, but only encompasses 186 square miles.

In case you missed it

NISD, like many other districts across Texas, has been going through budget difficulties recently due to state funding issues. Capital projects, such as building new schools and renovating facilities, typically get funded out of Interest & Sinking budgets, which are fueled by bonds like the NISD 2023 bond. State funding typically gets funnelled to Maintenance & Operations budgets, which are used to pay for daily operations such as teacher and staff salaries and utilities.

NISD is facing a $16 million deficit in its M&O budget. The district put forth a voter approved tax rate election, or VATRE, this past fall, but it fell short of the votes from district residents needed to pass.