Plano ISD’s first school year after closing four campuses marks the beginning of a new chapter for impacted staff and families.
The Big Picture
Wyatt, Katy Crockett’s son, was a fourth-grader at Davis Elementary last school year. Armstrong Middle, Carpenter Middle, Davis, and Forman Elementary all closed owing to dwindling enrollment within the district.
Wyatt switched to Harrington Elementary for fifth grade, and Crockett stated that parents were concerned about many parts of the transition, including busing. She also mentioned that parents have faced additional obstacles, such as long pickup and drop-off lines.
“We’re moving on, but it feels like we’re in this constant adjustment period,” she told me. “It’s frustrating for Davis parents coming in and not knowing how anything works.”
Still, she stated that Wyatt is “adjusting really well” to the shift.
“My son is making a ton of new friends—I see that as the silver lining,” she stated.
What happened?
According to PISD Chief Communications Officer Lesley Range-Stanton, the district provided support for impacted students and families through open houses and transition programs.
District officials stated that all receiving schools’ existing and planned facility enhancements were “more than adequate to support additional enrollment.”
Range-Stanton stated that PISD offered opportunities to all staff from closed campuses, and “approximately 85%” decided to remain with PISD.
All four institutions have “legacy committees,” which were charged with maintaining the schools’ histories.
Laura Retta’s daughter was a sixth-grade student at Carpenter during its final year and worked on the school’s legacy committee until 2024-25.
“We just wanted to love on our school as much as we possibly could,” Retta told me. “Carpenter was always a lower enrollment campus so [the closure] wasn’t completely unexpected, but because of that it was just such a tight-knit community.”
Retta was also a member of the Long Range Facility Planning Committee, a group of 70 community members charged with assessing campus efficiencies and submitting a proposed consolidation plan to the board.
“It was the most difficult volunteer role that I’ve had throughout my time with PISD,” she told me. “This was new area for everyone involved, and it presented a challenge. However, it was carried out as good as anyone could.
