Northwest ISD to deny transfers to 14 schools due to capacity issues

The Northwest ISD board of trustees discussed 14 schools within the district that are experiencing enrollment capacity issues.

At its April 11 meeting, the board went over a report detailing 14 schools—nine elementary schools, three middle schools and two high schools—that have projected enrollments for the 2022-23 school year over their capacities, according to the agenda item’s memo.

The schools include Wayne A. Cox Elementary, Haslet Elementary, W.R. Hatfield Elementary, Justin Elementary, Lance Thompson Elementary, Prairie View Elementary, Carl E. Schluter Elementary, Seven Hills Elementary, J.C. Thompson Elementary, Leo Adams Middle School, Gene Pike Middle School, Truett Wilson Middle School, V.R. Eaton High School and Northwest High School, according to Anthony Tosie, NISD executive director of communications.

All of these schools are either over capacity or within 10% of capacity, Tosie said.

Because of this, district staff recommended all transfer requests for the 2022-23 school year to any of the 14 schools be denied, the memo states. The school district has three new schools under construction that will help with overcapacity; however, they will not be completed until 2023, according to NISD’s construction page.

“It should be noted that temporary or permanent steps are being taken to accommodate the student enrollment for next year,” according to the memo.

NISD is the fastest-growing school district in North Texas, according to multiple reports from the district.

The district’s quarter-four 2021 demographic report shows NISD’s projected enrollment for the 2022-23 school year is 30,154, an increase from the 2021-22 school year’s 27,612 enrollment. NISD is also expected to nearly double its enrollment to 49,838 by the 2031-32 school year.