Growth in Aledo school district outpacing classroom space

When Dan Reilley moved to Aledo, he knew the timing was right. He had a child getting ready to start kindergarten and knew he wanted to be settled. In Aledo, he and his family found a sense of community while still being close enough to the city. But mostly, Reilley said, Aledo felt like home. Thousands of others think so too. Those moving into the area come for a variety of reasons. Some want the views of the rolling prairie. Those like Reilley are drawn to the community for its small-town feel and proximity to Fort Worth’s amenities. Others want to send their children to classes in the Aledo school district, which scored 13 points higher than the Fort Worth school district to earn an A rating in the most recent Texas Education Agency accountability score. The city’s population has grown 98% since 2010, to 5,380. Demographers estimate development of neighborhoods like Walsh, Morningstar, Parks of Aledo, Dean Ranch and Veale Ranch will bring more than 9,500 homes to the area by 2031. The 130-square-mile district stretches to Willow Park, Hudson Oaks and Fort Worth.

The growth is outpacing classroom space, as the district enrollment has nearly doubled since 2011, from 4,669 to 7,809 students this year. District officials say three of its six elementary schools will exceed capacity in 2023, and five will exceed capacity by the 2024 school year. The middle schools and high school will exceed capacity in 2027. And Aledo is already planning for what to do next. The district formed the Aledo Growth Committee to navigate the population boom and study the options to accommodate the new students. The committee has met three times. If it recommends a bond, the the earliest it would go up for a vote is in May 2023. Then, Aledo’s future will be in the voters’ hands. Some in the once-rural community are dead-set against seeing it become a suburb. Bonds in Aledo have been difficult to pass, though voters in 2019 approved $150 million for a middle school, elementary school and renovations to three campuses. That vote came after voters overwhelmingly rejected a $72.9 million proposal in 2017 to build a middle school and convert an intermediate school into an elementary school. In 2015, they approved $53.2 million for an elementary school and technology, buses and safety and security after rejecting a similar proposal six months earlier. Aledo athletic director Steve Wood said it took three tries for voters to approve Bearcat Stadium, home of the 10-time state champion football team. That bond eventually passed in 2005.