The needs of Fort Worth ISD students vary widely.
An analysis of 2021-22 school funding from Georgetown University’s Edunomics Lab provides insight into how each campus in Fort Worth ISD spends per student. The data shows how different types of student populations can affect funding.
The analysis examined the figures that all school districts are required to report to the federal government as part of the Every Student Succeeds Act, the law that governs national K-12 public education policy.
Eight of Fort Worth ISD’s campuses that are more focused on students in special education, such as the Jo Kelly School and Boulevard Heights School, are among those that have the highest spending per student:
- Jo Kelly School – $77,207
- Boulevard Heights School – $72,701
- Metro Opportunity High School – $64,895
Schools also can receive more funds if they are part of the state’s Senate Bill 1882 program, which allows an outside entity to operate them. Fort Worth ISD calls its SB 1882 schools Leadership Academies. They were among the more traditional schools with the highest annual funding per student:
- Maude I. Logan Elementary – $19,951
- Como Elementary – $17,961
- Mitchell Boulevard Elementary – $17,188
- John T. White Elementary – $16,919
Fort Worth ISD schools that received the least in annual funding per student include:
- Westpark Elementary – $9,346
- Marine Creek Collegiate High School – $9,511
- Richard J. Wilson Elementary – $9,650
- Tanglewood Elementary – $9,909
- McLean Middle School – $9,969
How are school districts funded?
School districts are funded from three major sources:
- Local funds raised through property taxes.
- State funds
- Federal funds
The state determines each district’s funding based on the percentage of students who attend classes. For each student, the state provides what is called a basic allotment of $6,160 annually.
Other factors that can increase state funding, according to the Texas Education Agency, include:
- Special education
- Bilingual education
- School safety
- Gifted and talented programming
- Career and technology education
- Early education
The federal government provides additional funds — known as Title I funds — to schools with high numbers of students from low-income families, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.
Jacob Sanchez is an enterprise journalist for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at [email protected] or via @_jacob_sanchez. 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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