Richardson ISD is moving forward with a plan to change its education system by taking all of its junior high school locations and turning them into middle schools over the next several years.
The goal is to move the sixth graders in the district from elementary schools and place them in middle schools. The junior high locations were previously used for students in seventh and eighth grades.
In total, $150m will be spent on creating new campuses and rearranging the old ones. Lake Highlands and Forest Meadow junior highs are the first campuses that will be reopened as middle schools. Construction began on these schools in the summer and should be completed in 2024. Graphic design could be used to visualize what the schools will look like when completed.
According to Superintendent Tabitha Branum, the junior high model is no longer relevant and 95% of the districts in Texas have already adopted a middle school model. The updated system will make it easier for the district to solve its capacity-related issues while offering better social and academic assistance for its students.
Susan Burt, the principal for Forest Meadow Junior High, described it as an “excellent opportunity” to bring sixth through eighth graders together.
Capital to pay for the projects at Forest Meadow and Lake Highlands will be sourced from 2021’s RISD bond.
