I am a Frisco ISD parent and many times I get the question, “Why are there so many schools in Frisco?!”
We keep building schools and keep changing boundaries! From my house you could walk to two High Schools in 5 minutes!! In a recent article in the Dallas Morning News my feelings of why Frisco schools are so small were confirmed! The philosophy of FISD stated by former superintendent is, ” It’s our business to know every kid by name and need.”
Frisco ISD credits its success to energetic teachers and parents that stay in touch and volunteer in the schools. They have stayed small and cozy despite the years of explosive growth! In 1997 Frisco ISD had 5 schools and 3,000 students. Today Frisco ISD has grown to 56 schools and 43,000 students! The idea to have smaller schools started over 20 years ago focusing on middle and high schools. Frisco has a goal to keep high schools to 2,000 students compared to other districts 3,000.
There is a down side to the fast growth of schools. Parents must be flexible and willing to change schools based on the zoning changes. Frisco ISD is so happy for the parents ability to adapt. They know that the challenge will be to keep the small school philosophy in this explosive time ! Frisco ISD predicts to add 3,000 students a year.
Overall, you can not deny the benefits of the small school philosophy. Students have the opportunities to be in smaller sized classes, more one on one teacher attention, and get to be more active in the school. I know from my experience and talking with my friends in the area that the parent are big fans of the smaller school sizes in FISD.