The 2025-26 school year will look a little different at Frisco ISD. For the first time in its history, Frisco ISD will allow non-resident students to attend its schools through a new initiative called Access Frisco.
As Local Profile previously reported, the district first announced the program in November 2024 as part of a broader effort to address declining student enrollment, which has become a growing concern in recent years. While Frisco ISD was once one of the fastest-growing school districts in the nation, enrollment numbers have begun to drop.
Why Enrollment Is Lower In Frisco
Frisco ISD's enrollment numbers have fallen short of projections by approximately 1,300 students this year. This follows a slight decline in enrollment last year, indicating a continuing trend.
“We peaked around 2023,” Frisco ISD Chief Operations Officer Scott Warstler said during Group One’s annual Frisco Forecast on Feb. 26, 2025.
“Y'all, this is the first time in the history of Frisco that we've seen a decline in enrollment,” said Warstler.
According to Warstler, several factors are contributing to this trend: The rise of charter schools, private schools and homeschooling — especially in the wake of COVID-19 — play a significant role in shifting enrollment numbers.
However, the most significant factor contributing to the decline in enrollment is the lack of regeneration in existing neighborhoods. As many communities within Frisco ISD age, fewer young families with school-age children are moving into these areas. Instead, longtime residents are staying in their homes, resulting in a slower turnover of housing and fewer new students entering the district.
“We just are not seeing a regeneration happening,” Warstler said. “When it does happen, it seems to be happening with older families that are bringing in middle school and high school students — not the pre-K, kinder one that we used to see for years and years in Frisco.”
Without an influx of younger families, the district may continue to see stagnant or declining enrollment in certain areas, prompting discussions on future planning and resource allocation — meaning less funding.
The Affect of Lower Enrollment
As local property taxes rise, many community members assume that the school district receives more funding. However, that is not the case. When local property tax revenue increases, state aid decreases, as the total funding a district can receive per student is capped. Once that maximum threshold is reached, any additional local revenue simply offsets state contributions rather than increasing the district’s overall budget.
According to Warstler, a decrease of 1,300 students is estimated to result in a loss of approximately $15 million in funding for the district. Since school funding is largely based on per-student attendance, fewer students directly translate to less financial support from the state. As a result, the district must adjust its budget to account for this reduction in revenue.
Why Frisco Is Spending More Than It’s Getting
The state provides funding for special education students, but Frisco ISD receives $41.5 million less than what it actually spends annually to support these students. Similarly, school safety and security present another financial challenge. While the district receives a state safety and security allotment, it falls short by approximately $4.5 million compared to what Frisco ISD must spend to fund its School Resource Officer (SRO) program.
House Bill 3 requires school districts to consider placing an armed individual — such as an SRO or police officer — on every campus. For Frisco ISD, implementing this mandate would cost an estimated $5 million annually, a cost that is not covered by state funding. These financial gaps place significant pressure on the district’s budget, requiring careful planning to meet critical student needs.
What Frisco ISD Is Doing To Fix Low Enrollment
Several revenue-generating options were explored for fiscal years 2024-25 and 2025-26, including a voter-approved tax rate election (VATRE), which was projected to generate approximately $12 million. However, voters rejected the district’s proposal.
To help offset the financial shortfall, Frisco ISD approved the Access Frisco initiative in November 2024. This program extends the district’s educational resources to children in kindergarten through seventh grade, allowing students outside the district’s traditional boundaries to enroll.
“We are a state that is funded on what’s called water-weighted average daily attendance, meaning if we have 65,000 students in our district, there are states where funding is appropriated based on your 65,000 students,” Warstler said.
Texas residents are eligible to apply for the Access Frisco program. Due to high interest, approximately 650 applications have been submitted, though the district can only accept around 360 students in the first year. Many applicants so far are from Denton, Aubrey and Little Rock.
“By strategically placing new students where space is available, we can generate substantial revenue while avoiding extra costs,” Chief Finance and Strategy Officer Kimberly Smith previously said.
“For every 100 students enrolled through this program, Frisco ISD expects to generate approximately $750,000 in funding — helping us maintain financial stability while sharing our culture of excellence.”
Don't miss anything Local. Sign up for our free newsletter.
