by Matthew Sgroi, Fort Worth Report
August 28, 2025

by Matthew Sgroi, Fort Worth Report
August 28, 2025

Fort Worth ISD is at a crossroads. 

As state leaders weigh whether to intervene in the district, student test results and readiness measures provide a look of where academic progress stands and how far the district has to go.

The following eight charts trace the district’s performance over the past decade in reading and math STAAR tests as well as how prepared students are for life after high school. Together, they show steady gains in some areas and persistent gaps in others. 

Fort Worth ISD is one of the largest school districts in Texas with about 67,500 students enrolled. About 82.5% of students come from low-income households, and nearly 40% are English-language learners. 

Here’s a look at how Fort Worth ISD compares to other large, urban districts — Houston, Dallas and Austin — that face similar challenges of scale and student need. 

Houston ISD, the state’s largest district, enrolls more than 176,000 students. Austin ISD, which is just a bit larger than FWISD with about 72,000 students, has a significantly lower rate of students who are from low income households at 51.1%. 

Dallas ISD serves nearly 140,000 students. Almost 90% are considered low-income and half of all students are English-language learners. 

Mesquite ISD, another North Texas district that has about 38,000 students, is included because it enrolls a comparable share of students who speak English as their second language, nearly 35%.

Arlington ISD, Fort Worth’s neighboring district to the east, serves about 53,000 students. Roughly 75% come from low-income households, and about a third are English-language learners.

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Matthew Sgroi is an education reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at matthew.sgroi@fortworthreport.org or @matthewsgroi1. 

At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.

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