Frisco ISD is slated to open two new schools just in time for the 2023-2024 school year.
When the district welcomes back students on August 9, it will have a total of 77 campuses, with Richard Wilkinson Middle School and Shana K. Wortham Intermediate School added to its roster.
At the beginning of 2023, 67,226 students were enrolled at Frisco ISD schools, a significant increase from 65,617 students the previous year.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, four of the district’s schools — Nelson Middle School, Lebanon Trail High School, Reedy High School, and Wakeland High School — had already reached enrollment capacity back in June.
Recent population growth in Frisco has left school officials scrambling to keep up with growing student enrollment numbers.
The two new school campuses should help surmount the hurdle but at a cost. Frisco ISD’s board of trustees approved its second consecutive deficit budget in June: a $943.4 million budget with a $24.4 million potential shortfall.
Richard Wilkinson Middle School cost taxpayers $43 million to build, according to Community Impact. Construction of the school — which will be located across the street from Panther Creek High School at 1892 PGA Pkwy — began in 2022.
It will be the 18th middle school in the district. It will welcome students in grades 6-8 residing in the Frisco Hills, Villas at Doe Creek, Estates of Rockhill, The Travis, Hollyhock, and Somerset Park neighborhoods.
Longtime district employee Jamie Wisneski, most recently the principal of Pearson Middle School, will act as principal in the new middle school.
“I look forward to bringing the lessons I’ve learned along the way to Wilkinson Middle School and establishing a tradition of excellence,” Wisneski said in a statement, according to a Frisco ISD news release.
The school campus features “innovation labs,” according to Community Impact. While formerly used as science classrooms, they will instead be flexible learning spaces that can be repurposed for classes requiring collaborative workspaces.
Shana K. Wortham Intermediate School — which cost $45 million of taxpayer money to build — is located at 7404 Kickapoo Dr. in McKinney. The campus is named after a longtime Frisco ISD employee and will solely cater to fifth and sixth graders.
Michael Thomas, formerly a principal at Richardson ISD, will serve as Wortham Intermediate’s principal.
Frisco ISD has been one of the better-performing districts in North Texas, with an on-time graduation rate of 99% during the 2021-2022 school year. Additionally, 74% of students scored at grade level on their STAAR exams that year — far more than at Dallas ISD, which only saw 41% of its students scoring at grade level. Dallas ISD’s on-time graduation rate is also dismal, with almost 20% of the district’s graduating Class of 2022 failing to earn a diploma in four years, despite the hard work of its dedicated teachers.