5 Possible School Closings Could Rock Border Areas in Lewisville, Island

As discussions about possible school closures continue, Lewisville ISD staff shared a proposed plan to adjust boundaries and delivery patterns.

Officials also received feedback from parents and families at several community dialogue events. B.B. Owen Elementary School, Creekside Elementary School, Garden Ridge Elementary School, Highland Village Elementary School and STEM Polser Elementary School will be closed, according to district documents.

Eight other schools also could receive boundary adjustments, according to district documents.

Context

The consolidation has been accelerated by rising inflation, rising insurance costs, projected enrollment declines and a stagnant state funding formula, resulting in a $4.5 million budget deficit for the 2024-25 fiscal year.

Campuses will continue to be analyzed for potential ways to improve facility efficiency based on student enrollment and throughput in each LISD middle and high school meal plan.

The board expects final decisions to be made in December and take effect for the 2025-26 school year.

Colony High School Feeder

B.B. Owen Elementary has 273 students, 73 of whom are transfers, according to district records. If BB Owen closes, students will be transferred to Ethridge, Camie, Morningside and Peters Colony elementary schools. Students transferred to Morningside and Peters Colony will attend Griffin Middle School, while students transferred to Ethridge and Camie will attend Lakeview High School.

Under the plan, some students attending Peters Colony would be transferred to Ethridge, and students from the area north of 121 attending Morningside would be transferred to Camie. Students from Ethridge, Memorial and Camie Elementary Schools will remain at those schools.

In addition, three B.B. Owen Elementary special education and preschool programs will move to Camie, and one co-ed program will move to Peters Colony. All of these schools are classified as Colonie High School, according to district records.

Lewisville High School feeder

The closure of Creekside Elementary will result in boundary adjustments for Lewisville, Lakeland and Degan elementary schools, which will serve 373 Creekside students. Under the proposal, Creekside students currently attend either Hedrick High School or Durham High School and would continue to do so if the campus were to close. District staff will continue to provide services to students in the dual language program at the new campuses.

Students from the Quail Crest, Harbor Heights and Manco Manor areas attending Lakeland Elementary will be transferred to Degan, and students from the Lake Terrace area attending Lewisville Elementary will be transferred to Lakeland. Students living in Degan will remain on this campus.

The proposed plan would move Creekside’s two behavioral intervention programs to Lakeland Elementary School. All schools affected by the potential closure of Creekside will remain in the Lewisville High School zone.

Flower Mound Middle School Feeder

The closure of Garden Ridge Elementary will impact Donald STEM Elementary and Forest Vista Elementary, which will enroll 323 campus students, 121 of whom are transfer students. Transfer students, some of whom were originally assigned to Donald or Forest Vista, will be given a spot or can request an additional transfer.

The Garden Ridge special education program will move to Wellington Elementary, and the life skills program will move to Forest Vista. Under the proposed plan, no students from Donald or Forest Vista would be reallocated, and the campuses would continue to serve Forestwood High School and Flower Mound High School.

Petitions to keep Garden Ridge and Highland Village elementary schools open were circulated in October, each receiving more than 1,700 signatures.

Marcus High School Feeder

Highland Village Elementary School’s 378 students will be transferred to McAuliffe Elementary School and Heritage Elementary School, which are neighboring schools in Highland Village. However, this proposal would not displace any students located in the McAuliffe or Legacy zones, or anyone attending those schools, upon transfer.

Under the plan, Highland Village’s special education classrooms will move to Heritage. The rezoning would bring McAuliffe closer to eventual enrollment, and as a result, the plan proposes moving the school’s academic life skills program to a Legacy program.

All students affected by the school closure and boundary adjustments will remain at Briarhill Middle School and Marcus High School. The Highland Village City Council recently approved a resolution asking the district to keep the school open.

Hebron High School Feeder

The 504 students attending Polser STEM Primary Academy will be merged with Hebron Valley Primary School, which will become a new STEM academy, according to the plan. About 120 of Polser’s students are transfer students and will be placed in their original zoned school.

LISD staff estimates a national STEM certification could be achieved for the Hebron Valley by the start of the 2025-26 school year. If Polser closes, all Hebron Valley students will participate in the STEM and engineering curriculum.

As a result of the changes, Polser STEM Academy’s three co-curricular Pre-K programs will move to Indian Creek Elementary School and the academy’s life skills programs will move to Homestead Elementary School. Hebron Valley’s preschool and early childhood education programs will be moved to Memorial Elementary School, and its three special education communication programs will be moved to Castle Hills Elementary School.

All students affected by the school closure and boundary adjustments will remain within the boundaries of Creek Valley High School, STEM Academy and Hebron High School.

Also worth noting

In December, the board is also considering possible boundary adjustments for the following eight campuses:

• Bluebonnet Elementary
• Degan Primary School
• Memorial Elementary School STEM Academy
• Old Settlers Elementary School
• Rockbrook Elementary School
• Creek Valley High School
• Downing High School
• Lakeview High School

Individuals interested in learning more about the proposed consolidations and zoning changes can read the county’s plan online.