The first day of school for Keller ISD, Aug. 12, also began a countdown for the final days of the district’s three intermediate schools.
During KISD’s May 14 board of trustees meeting, Bear Creek, Parkwood Hill and Trinity Meadows were selected to close after the 2026-27 school year by a 129-member committee of parents, community members, teachers and staff.
Dwindling enrollment has played a part in the decision. Since the 2021-22 school year, KISD has seen an 18.3% decrease in the student population. Superintendent Cory Wilson said KISD will save $39 million in repairs and capital improvement costs and $3 million-$4 million in operating costs for the three schools.
“I don’t want anybody to lose sight of the fact that we’re closing three schools,” Wilson said. “That’s a lot and that is going to disrupt our community. It’s going to disrupt our staff. It’s going to take an emotional toll on all of us. It already has.”
What’s happening
The KISD closures will affect 3,800 students, though the district had not provided an update on staff impact as of July. Next school year, elementary schools will serve pre-kindergarten through fifth grade, middle schools will include grades 6-8 and high schools will serve students in grades 9-12, a district news release states.
More than 740 students will be affected by attendance zone and feeder pattern changes. Whitley Road Elementary and Liberty Elementary schools will feed into Indian Springs Middle School, according to a district presentation.
Independence Elementary students will split between Trinity Springs and Timberview middle schools. Ridgeview students west of US 377 will attend Woodland Springs, while those east of 377 will remain at Ridgeview.
“We live in the Central [High School] feeder pattern, which means we will have a filled-to-capacity middle school,” KISD parent Laney Hawes said. “Our kids at Hillwood Middle School [won’t get] the teacher-student ratios that the rest of the middle schoolers in the district get.”
The breakdown
The consolidation plan discussed at the April meeting included Shady Grove Elementary as another campus that could be closed. The original plan would have saved a minimum of $51.6 million for KISD, or 24% more than the current total.
Instead of closing, Shady Grove will open enrollment to students outside the district to help offset those costs, according to previous reporting. When Shady Grove was on the list of schools closing, the school had at least $5.9 million more in capital improvement costs compared to neighboring campuses.
KISD expects to have additional savings through reduction of transportation routes, though an exact number was not available by press time.
Dig deeper
Wilson said KISD has capacity for 39,500 students, but the 2025-26 school year enrollment was 30,202. After the school closures, the district’s capacity will be down to 36,200 students for a total occupancy of 85% for the 2027-28 school year, KISD documents state. Demographic projections from Zonda Education show KISD could lose another 4,000 students by 2029-30.
Fewer new-build homes are available in Keller, as well. The city’s housing permits fell from 100 in 2019 to 37 through July 30, said Rachel Reynolds, Keller’s former communications manager.
What’s next
KISD held open enrollment for out-of-district students and families from May 25-June 16. Wilson said the district needed 113 students to enroll in the 2026-27 school year to help offset operational costs. KISD Chief Communications Officer Bryce Nieman said 160 had enrolled as of Aug. 19.
According to the May 14 presentation, KISD may limit repairs and expansions to lower-enrollment schools and will evaluate staffing at those same schools. The district will look at possible campus closures again in three or four years, as well as discuss plans for the three soon-to-be-vacated campuses. Nieman said the district has not finalized plans for what will happen to the three intermediate schools.
“This consolidation plan allows us to align our facilities with current and projected enrollment, making the best use of our resources while continuing to support student success,” said Pam Stranathan, the district’s chief financial officer.
