{"id":20285,"date":"2025-06-27T23:11:10","date_gmt":"2025-06-27T23:11:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/20285\/"},"modified":"2025-06-27T23:11:10","modified_gmt":"2025-06-27T23:11:10","slug":"state-board-approves-new-fort-worth-charter-school-despite-concerns-over-recent-closures","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/20285\/","title":{"rendered":"State board approves new Fort Worth charter school despite concerns over recent closures"},"content":{"rendered":"

Fort Worth STEAM Academy<\/a> will be allowed to open in 2026.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In a 10-4 vote June 27, the State Board of Education approved the charter school despite concerns from some board members about charter instability in the city.<\/p>\n

Democrat Tiffany Clark, who represents the area where the school will be located, voted against the proposal, alongside three other members. Republican Brandon Hall, who represents parts of west Fort Worth, voted with the majority.<\/p>\n

Hall did not immediately respond to Fort Worth Report requests for comment.<\/p>\n

Nicholas Ditto, the school\u2019s founder and a former IDEA Rise principal, pitched the middle school as a stable, high-quality alternative for families in central east Fort Worth.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The vote gives Ditto and his team the green light to move forward with preparations for the 2026-27 school year and positions Fort Worth STEAM Academy as one of four new charter campuses in the state to win approval this cycle.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Ditto said he was overjoyed by the board\u2019s decision.<\/p>\n

\u201cToday\u2019s vote represents the conclusion of a rigorous, nearly yearlong charter application process,\u201d he told the Report. The school \u201cearned the confidence of the State Board of Education, as proven by a strong bipartisan vote in favor of our charter. This milestone reflects more than 18 months of hard work, community partnership and an unwavering belief in what\u2019s possible for students in Fort Worth.\u201d<\/p>\n

The school plans to enroll 450 students in grades six through eight, with a focus on individualized instruction, science, technology, engineering, arts and math coursework, and a \u201cjoyful culture of high expectations.\u201d<\/p>\n

Clark expressed hesitation about approving a new charter amid recent closures of other campuses in Fort Worth. She cited the need for new schools to demonstrate how they will be different \u2014 and more sustainable \u2014 than those that recently closed, including Rocketship Texas<\/a> and the Academy of Visual and Performing Arts.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In a statement to the Report following the vote, Clark pointed to broader concerns about charter school performance and its impact on traditional public schools.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Still, she added, she looks forward to seeing what happens because she has heard nothing but positive reviews of Ditto.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhich gives me hope that he is a great leader and will do what is needed for the students in that area,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

While Clark raised concerns about the charter sector\u2019s track record in Fort Worth, others on the board took a different view.<\/p>\n

\u201cI look at it as another option and one that will actually support (Fort Worth ISD),\u201d Hall previously told the Report<\/a>. \u201cIt\u2019s a middle school, so I think it\u2019s going to funnel in a lot of well-educated, well-prepared students into Fort Worth high schools.\u201d<\/p>\n

The school\u2019s approval was incredibly meaningful, Ditto said, not just for him and his school\u2019s board, but for the families and community who have helped drive this work.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re hitting the ground running to ensure everything is in place for a strong and on-time launch,\u201d he said. \u201cFrom hiring great educators to engaging families, we\u2019re focused on building an exceptional public middle school for Fort Worth.\u201d<\/p>\n

Matthew Sgroi is an education reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at matthew.sgroi@fortworthreport.org<\/a> or @matthewsgroi1<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n\tRelated\n<\/p>\n

Fort Worth Report is certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative<\/a> for adhering to standards for ethical journalism.<\/p>\n

Republish This Story<\/p>\n

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Republishing is free for noncommercial entities. Commercial entities are prohibited without a licensing agreement. Contact us for details. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Fort Worth STEAM Academy will be allowed to open in 2026.\u00a0 In a 10-4 vote June 27, the…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":20286,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5138],"tags":[5229,7371,7372,18896,358,3187,67,586,132,5230,68,2969],"class_list":{"0":"post-20285","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-fort-worth","8":"tag-america","9":"tag-fort-worth","10":"tag-fortworth","11":"tag-state-board-of-education","12":"tag-texas","13":"tag-tx","14":"tag-united-states","15":"tag-united-states-of-america","16":"tag-unitedstates","17":"tag-unitedstatesofamerica","18":"tag-us","19":"tag-usa"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/114757860466116432","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20285","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20285"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20285\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20286"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20285"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20285"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20285"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}