Fifteen schools in the Fort Worth Independent School District will have an additional month of class time in the 2025-26 year as part of the district’s ongoing efforts to improve its academic performance.

Schools that have received “D” or “F” ratings from the Texas Education Agency in recent years will stay in session longer to address summer learning loss, according to Fort Worth ISD officials. The identified schools have had one to four years of “unacceptable” A-F ratings, which measure how well campuses are faring academically. The State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness exams, or STAAR tests, are heavily weighted in these ratings, but other data points — such as how well campuses are closing performance gaps between student groups — are also part of the state’s calculations.

The last day of school for the regular school year is May 21, 2026, but students at the selected campuses will stay in class until June 30. The 25 added instructional days will be four hours long with at least two hours consisting of reading and math instruction. Fort Worth ISD Superintendent Karen Molinar said at the school board’s July 22 meeting that the extended school year is necessary to meet the needs of students whose campuses are struggling.

“It’s my responsibility, and it’s the responsibility of this district, to do something different for these students. They need additional instructional learning time,” Molinar said. “When you see some of these campuses that have been at ‘unacceptable’ for more than a year, two years, three years, four years — some of those students have been on those campuses for that many years.”

Transportation will continue to be provided to students during the extended school year, in addition to breakfast and lunch, according to district officials. Teachers have the option to continue teaching into the summer for additional compensation.

The Fort Worth ISD schools with the extended school year are:

  • Clifford Davis Elementary

  • Van Zandt Guinn Elementary