Frisco ISD leaders are considering demolition of the former Staley Middle School campus.
During a Nov. 9 board sustainability workshop, the campus was recommended for demolition after district officials evaluated options for its future use, citing renovation costs and ongoing maintenance expenses.
According to FISD documents, district leaders evaluated several options for the former Staley Middle School property before recommending the building's demolition at the meeting.
The board took no action on the demolition recommendation.
What they’re saying
Kim Smith, FISD’s Deputy Superintendent of Business and Operations, said district officials and the FISD capital projects subcommittee have discussed three options for the former Staley Middle School: renovation and repurposing, sale of the campus, or demolition.
Smith said district officials have not identified a need to reuse or repurpose the campus, and renovation expenses would add to the existing costs of replacing its underground plumbing. She also said the property’s proximity to other district facilities made selling the campus less viable.
“We don’t think selling the Staley building is the best option. We would lose control over anything that happens on that piece of property that’s surrounded by other district facilities,” Smith said. “(Demolition) would probably be the best option for the district long term.”
Smith said the district is spending “roughly $300,000 a year from our maintenance and operations budget” on the former Staley Middle School’s utilities despite its vacancy.
“You have to keep the air conditioner on, otherwise you get mold,” Smith said. “[$300,000 annually] does not count any cost if something breaks. If a pipe bursts or something like that, we would need to go in and fix that.”
How we got here
FISD leaders voted Oct. 20, 2025, to permanently close Staley Middle School, citing district-wide middle school enrollment decline and costly underground plumbing replacement needed to keep the building operational.
In April 2025, FISD board members rejected a proposal to close the campus at the end of the 2024-25 school year by a 4-3 vote. Trustees directed district staff to gather additional demographic information for consideration. No alternative solutions to keep the campus open were identified.
District officials proposed $102.33 million to rebuild Staley Middle School in a 2024 bond totaling $1.08 billion, which voters rejected. The school’s closure rezoned students to Hunt, Trent and Griffin middle schools.
What’s next?
Smith said the district must first adopt a resolution declaring the former Staley Middle School building has no further educational use before officials can establish a timeline for potential demolition.
“There’s a little bit of a lengthy timeline between when we declare no educational use for the property and when we actually move forward with a contract,” Smith said.
FISD leaders are also developing a real property master plan to evaluate the long-term use of district facilities and land assets and guide decisions about properties no longer needed, according to board documents.
