Facilities Management

Plano (Texas) board votes to shutter 4 schools

June 14, 2024

To address declining enrollment and cut operating costs by about $5 million a year, the district will close 2 middle and 2 elementary schools before the start of 2025-26.

Mike Kennedy

The Plano (Texas) school board has voted to close four schools in 2025--two middle and two elementary campuses.

KDFW-TV reports that closing Davis and Forman elementary schools and Carpenter and Armstrong middle schools will save about $5 million per year in operating costs.

The board voted unanimously to close the schools down before the start of the 2025-26 school year.

District administrators said no staff members will lose their job because of the closures.

A committee of more than 70 parents, district staff and community members recommended earlier this year that Plano should close the four schools.

Among the factors that the committee weighed to reach its decisions: the age of buildings, the expense of renovations and whether nearby campuses could accommodate students from facilities that close.

Board members said declining enrollment was the reason for the closures. About a decade ago, Plano had 54,551 students. Now it has just under 48,000. Some of the schools in Plano’s central and eastern sectors are half-empty.

About the Author

Mike Kennedy | Senior Editor

Mike Kennedy has been writing about education for American School & University since 1999. He also has reported on schools and other topics for The Chicago Tribune, The Kansas City Star, The Kansas City Times and City News Bureau of Chicago. He is a graduate of Michigan State University.