Workers are busy building the newest school in Forney’s growing Las Lomas neighborhood. When the pre-K through 4th grade campus opens this fall, it will enroll 750 students, with room for up to 900.
“It’s an interesting dynamic that we’re watching right now,” said Superintendent Justin Terry.
A decade ago Forney ISD taught 9,000 kids. Today, that's more than doubled – and it’s expected to keep growing.
“We're about 20,000 students right now, but our projection's closer to 50,000,” Terry said. “So we've got a long way to go.”
Of the state’s more than 1,000 school districts, more than half have lost students over the last decade, according to an analysis of state data by the Texas A&M Private Enterprise Research Center. Forney is among those bucking the trend and growing — even as nearby districts, from Fort Worth to Frisco, plan on closing campuses.
Demographers — and Forney ISD uses one — say growth’s occurring in North Texas’ so-called ring counties just beyond big cities. That’s where affordable land has always attracted buyers.
“We're still seeing that West Coast movement and we see trickles of people moving from maybe some from the urban areas to more of the suburban situations,” said Greg Smith, executive director of the Fast Growth School Coalition, a group of the state’s 60 or so fastest growing districts.
But, he advises caution – even once rapidly growing districts are now having to shutter schools, including Frisco and Plano.
“Don't build too fast, build when you have to,” he said. “When you are finding yourself in a position of having to either consider closing schools, look at all options, including but not limited to repurposing a school.”
That’s the approach Prosper ISD is taking.
The district has experienced growth for years now, even faster than Forney. A decade ago, enrollment was under 8,000. Today, it’s above 31,000. But Superintendent Holly Ferguson took warning after a recent slowdown.
"We spend probably more time right now talking about the future of slowing down,” she said. “What does that look like?”
Ferguson said Prosper will now build schools for 300 more students than it used to, to accommodate unexpected growth. That’ll be cheaper than building a new school in the future.
“We decided to make those adjustments at the elementary and the middle school because that was a way that we were going to be able to help kind of manage this growth at the back end,” she said.
Ferguson also ended what are known as terminal zones -- meaning the school a child attends, based on the home address, will never change.
“We can't give anyone that guarantee because as things start declining, parents are aging in place, we are going to have to move things around and draw lines a little bit differently,” she said. “We've got to make sure we have our eraser and we didn't do that in permanent marker.”
Ferguson also consults demographers – the district uses two – to stay on track.
In Forney, Superintendent Justin Terry said he also expects a bumpy enrollment ride, especially with competition coming from vouchers for private schools. Last year the district was projected to increase by 1,600 and only grew by 1,000; the year before, it was 500 students over projections.
He plans to maintain and grow interest in those families trickling in by expanding school choices – from popular robotics and dual language classes, to more unusual golf and swimming academies.
“Our focus right now is really doubling down on how we engage our kids and our families,” he said.
Forney ISD mom and PTO president Bethany Eatherly has two kids in the district. She attended private school in Grand Prairie, but her husband grew up here, so she agreed to give Forney a try.
“I didn't know the kids in my neighborhood,” she said. “And so I want for my kids what I didn't have growing up, and it's that community involvement and balance and friendships.
Eatherly said she likes Forney’s small town feel – despite the district’s rapid growth.
Bill Zeeble is KERA’s education reporter. Got a tip? Email Bill at bzeeble@kera.org. You can follow him on X @bzeeble.
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