Fort Worth ISD finalizes list of 18 total proposed school closures

CBS News

12-05-2025

The Fort Worth Independent School District has finalized a proposal to close 18 schools over the next four years in response to a $17 million budget deficit and steadily declining student enrollment, according to newly released district documents.
The district plans to present its finalized list of closures to the Board of Trustees during a special meeting Tuesday evening at 5:30 p.m.
The majority of the campuses slated for closure are elementary schools.
Only two, S.S. Dillow Elementary School and Eastern Hills Elementary School, will shut down at the end of this academic year. The remaining 16 closures would be phased in through June 2029.
The board has already approved closing S.S. Dillow ES, Eastern Hills ES, McLean 6th Grade, and West Handley Elementary School. Trustees still have to vote to approve the other 14 on the list.
The list and timeline of the proposed closures:
Closure date: June 2025
S.S. Dillow ES (Consolidation previously approved)
Eastern Hills ES (Consolidation previously approved)
Closure date: June 2026
Milton L. Kirkpatrick ES
Charles E. Nash ES
Riverside ALC
Edward J. Briscoe ES
Closure date: June 2027
De Zavala ES
A.M. Pate ES
J.T. Stevens ES
Atwood McDonald ES
Closure date: June 2028
McLean 6th Grade (Consolidation previously approved)
West Handley ES (Consolidation previously approved)
Harlean Beal ES
H.V. Helbing ES
Sunrise-McMillan ES
Closure date: June 2029
Kirkpatrick MS
Morningside MS
Hubbard Heights ES
"It was very devastating to find out that [De Zavala] was on the chopping block," said Stephany Velez, a parent and PTA president at De Zavala. "It's kind of a blow to the morale of the employees and the community of Fort Worth to close down such an amazing school that could potentially be the model for some of these other schools."
According to documents, the district expects the closures to save Fort Worth ISD $77.3 million over the next five years.
"A lot of the time, you just look at numbers on a sheet of paper and things can be very data-driven," she said. "I think the community at De Zavala has made its voice be known."
Velez doesn't think it makes sense to close an A-rated school at a time when Fort Worth ISD's student performance is under scrutiny.
She's rallying parents and neighbors to show up in full force at the next board meeting.
"Maybe if we can make the same noise we can also let the community and the city and the state know that De Zavala shouldn't be closed," said Velez.
Trustees aren't expected to vote on the recommendations for closure until next week on May 20th.
The district said the list could change based on future enrollment trends.