Fort Worth Independent School District has announced it will close its Wedgwood Sixth Grade campus, consolidating into Wedgwood Middle School, beginning in the 2024-25 school year.
This comes as enrollment rates continue to decline in Fort Worth ISD since the peak enrollment of the 2016-2017 school year. Since this time, Wedgwood Sixth Grade has lost 1 in 3 students while operating costs have risen, according to the Fort Worth Report.
“We believe this consolidation will serve in the best interest of our families and the Wedgwood community,” superintendent Angélica Ramsey said in a statement, according to the Fort Worth Report.
“Creating one middle school will help us better serve our students while also aligning with the goals of the district. Together, we will create a thriving campus filled with learning, opportunity and community,” added Ramsey.
Wedgewood Middle School is located approximately 1.5 miles from Wedgwood Sixth Grade.
The closure will hopefully assist in the district’s plan to balance its 2024-25 school budget. Last school year, Fort Worth ISD reportedly sported a $44 million deficit, per the Fort Worth Report.
Dallas ISD could soon face similar decisions as survey results reported by The Dallas Express last year showed that 34.4% of district parents felt that “DISD’s terrible reputation” is the main reason Dallas is losing residents and not growing compared to other cities in the metroplex. Around 33% blamed “excessive homelessness and vagrancy” in Dallas, whereas 32.6% said that the “lack of cleanliness” in the City was an eyesore.
The Texas Education Agency accountability report found that DISD’s student achievement scores fell below the average state score for STAAR testing and graduation rates. In 2021-22, only 41% of DISD students scored at grade level, and nearly 20% of the class of 2022 did not graduate on time.