Tag: Tarrant County

The percentage of students in Tarrant County entering kindergarten who are considered to be “kindergarten ready” is slightly higher than their statewide peers. But education experts and state leaders say this metric needs improvement to set up children for success in their academic careers.

Enrollment and access to a quality pre-K or child care program before kindergarten is a major factor in kindergarten readiness. Texas serves the highest number of pre-K students in the country, but an April 2024 report from the National Institute for Early Education Research shows the state has lagged in updating its quality standards and per-student funding for years. Investment is needed to cover costs of running a quality program, pre-K teachers should be paid the same as their K-12 peers and access should be expanded through partnerships with private child care providers, according to the institute.

In 2025, Texas lawmakers expanded public pre-K eligibility to children of school teachers and included pre-K students in the state’s voucher-like program that will allow them to attend private early childhood education programs with public funding. Because the state’s early learning system is still fragmented with multiple agencies overseeing these programs, state leaders are looking for solutions to improve performane.

Texas’ latest data on kindergarten readiness rates was recently released for the 2024-25 school year, reflecting the percentage of students who are considered to be prepared for kindergarten when they first enroll in the grade at the beginning of the school year. Children who attend a pre-K program are twice as likely to be kindergarten ready, which then sets the tone for reaching future academic milestones such as third-grade reading proficiency, according to education nonprofit The Commit Partnership. Students who read on grade level by third grade are more likely to receive a high school diploma.

In Tarrant County, 52% of students were considered to be kindergarten ready while 51% met this metric statewide in the 2024-25 school year.

The top performing local districts, in order, were Mansfield, Grapevine-Colleyville and Carroll ISDs with 69%, 68% and 67% of students identified as kindergarten ready, respectively. The lowest performing districts included Burleson ISD with 33% of students meeting this standard, followed by 34% of students in Azle ISD and 39% of students in both Fort Worth and Godley ISDs.

The release of this data comes forward as Gov. Gregg Abbott launches the Governor’s Task Force on Early Childhood Education and Care, which is focusing on better coordination across different state agencies to improve early learning outcomes, including kindergarten readiness. The task force will make legislative and budget recommendations by December 2026 ahead of the 2027 legislative session.

“The goal is to evaluate child care and early learning programs across all state agencies. We must put an end to the endless bureaucracy, the unclear standards of care, and the inflated costs that make it difficult for parents to get the early childhood care and education that they need for their children,” Abbott said in a statement announcing the task force.

Lauren McKenzie, director of early childhood-to-12th-grade policy at The Commit Partnership, said school districts have the option to administer different assessments that focus on early literacy skills when calculating kindergarten readiness. In general, too many Texas children are entering kindergarten without the foundation they need to thrive in school, she said.

“It really is a measure of what happens before they actually get to kindergarten, before they enter school,” McKenzie said. “Some of the great work that the governor’s task force is kind of tasked with thinking about (is) what happens in early childhood before a child enters school (and) what key experiences really help set them up to be kindergarten ready.”

Leila Santillán, chief operating officer of the Fort Worth Education Partnership, said a closer look at the state data reiterates the value of students attending an early childhood education program ahead of kindergarten. It’s important to look at the nuances within the kindergarten readiness data that show the differences in performance for those who attended a pre-K program compared to those who didn’t attend one, even though they were eligible to do so.

Traditional state pre-K programs are available to 3- and 4-year-olds who meet certain criteria, such as those who are unable to speak or comprehend English; those who are eligible for the national school lunch program; or those who have a parent in the U.S. armed forces.

“School systems with significant differences between those two rates are demonstrating that their early childhood programs are significantly advancing students’ academic readiness,” Santillán said.

“For example, in Everman ISD, 53% of students are ‘kindergarten ready’ overall, and for students who were eligible and attended pre-K, their readiness rate was 31% higher than for those who were eligible but did not attend pre-K. Of note, Everman ISD is 95% economically disadvantaged,” she added.

Tarrant County’s high-performing districts

Mansfield ISD’s Director of Early Childhood Ashton Oliver attributed the district’s success in kindergarten readiness rates to its professional learning communities for pre-K, in addition to the district’s unique pre-K curriculum. The curriculum consists of 16 experiential learning classes that immerse students in different themed environments such as space, wonderland and the tropics. The most immersive version of this curriculum is based at Jandrucko Early Learners Academy, which won the 2025 H-E-B Excellence in Education Award for an early childhood facility.

“They’re learning through the way that they naturally — as a 4- or 5-year-old — wants to learn. So they’re very engaged in the learning. We’re able to master some of those skills, especially phonological awareness,” Oliver said.

Grapevine-Colleyville ISD officials said their program’s focus on providing a strong initial layer of instruction to all students, its support system tailored specifically to pre-K teachers and its high expectations for students are among the drivers of its kindergarten readiness rate. More than half of the district’s kindergartners also attended its pre-K program.

“We have specific outcomes that are identified based on our student groups and specifically for our pre-K program,” said Shiela Shiver, chief academic officer for Grapevine-Colleyville ISD. “We’re very clear around why we’re here and what our goals are with our kids and that kindergarten readiness for the pre-K program.”

Director of Early Childhood and Teacher Development Kristi Brown said teaching self-regulation is also vital to making sure students are ready to learn the academics.

“Our principals are very much bought into the concept and the return on the investment of early childhood,” Brown said. “ We just have support from every angle. We have coaching support for our teachers that are early childhood specific… it is particular for them and what they need to help our students be successful.”

Carroll ISD, which had the third-highest overall kindergarten readiness rate in Tarrant, did not respond to a request for comment as of Friday .

Tarrant County’s low-performing districts

Officials with Burleson, Azle, Fort Worth and Godley ISDs shared statements underscoring the difference in performance for students who attended pre-K compared to those who didn’t. Local districts acknowledged the value of kindergarten readiness and the impact of pre-K attendance while highlighting academic growth seen by students once they’re enrolled in kindergarten. Districts consider the metric as a baseline, as the assessments are given at the beginning of the kindergarten school year.

Deputy Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction Mohammed Choudhury with Fort Worth ISD, the largest district in Tarrant County, said students with previous early learning experiences “are achieving kindergarten readiness rates comparable to those seen in more affluent districts in the region — such as Aledo and others — that serve significantly smaller percentages of economically disadvantaged students.”

The district operates one of the largest universal pre-K programs statewide, serving “a significantly higher proportion of students from historically underserved backgrounds,” he said. Fort Worth ISD ramped up its pre-K enrollment efforts earlier this year to reach more families.

“While 38.8% of all kindergarten students were identified as kindergarten ready, 51.2% of students who attended public pre-K for 80 or more days were kindergarten ready in Fort Worth ISD. That positive impact is consistent across every student group and shows meaningful gains for students we are most focused on supporting,” Choudhury said.

Across all student demographics, students enrolled in public pre-K outperformed their peers in kindergarten readiness, Choudhury noted. Black and African American students who attended pre-K performed 10 percentage points higher; Hispanic and Latino students were ahead by 14 percentage points; economically disadvantaged students were ahead by 13 percentage points; emergent bilingual students were ahead by 17 percentage points; and students receiving special education services were ahead by 6 percentage points.

“These results reinforce the importance of both access to pre-K and consistent attendance. As we continue improving instructional quality across a student’s entire K–12 experience, we have made targeted investments in strengthening our pre-K model, which is grounded in evidence-based practices and high-quality instructional materials aligned to our district’s instructional framework.”

Burleson ISD officials described kindergarten readiness assessments as “screening tools used to identify where students are with basic literacy when they step foot into a school for the first time.” The district administers its assessment to students within the first three weeks of school to take advantage of more instructional days that would catch up students who aren’t considered kindergarten ready. The state requires an assessment to be given within the first 60 days of school.

Officials pointed to growth data shown by its kindergartners on the MAP assessment, or the national Measures of Academic Progress.

“We believe this early identification and targeted instruction is why the same class of kindergarten students who came to us showing as only 33% kindergarten ready at the start of the year tested at the 68th percentile nationwide, using MAP data … by the middle of that year. Our current kindergarten students continue this trend and are scoring in the 71st percentile nationwide by the middle of this year,” Burleson ISD officials said.

Burleson ISD officials also underscored differences in the state’s kindergarten readiness assessments that evaluate components of early literacy, apply benchmarks and define kindergarten readiness differently. Burleson ISD uses mCLASS, which looks at skills such as letter naming, word reading and nonsense word fluencies.

Azle ISD officials said the rate is “not an indicator of the district’s instruction” except when a student has participated in the district’s pre-K program. The district highlighted its academic growth that’s seen by the time students reach third grade.

“Kindergarten students may enter the district at lower readiness levels; however data from the Texas Academic Performance Report demonstrates our elementary teachers’ instruction contributes significant academic growth by the time these students reach third grade,” officials said. “The true impact of Azle ISD’s educational programs is revealed by the time these students reach the third grade, where they consistently demonstrate exceptional academic growth because of our strong and dedicated teaching staff.”

In 2025, 82% of Azle ISD third-graders approached grade level in reading, while 52% met grade level, “matching state and regional performance.” The percentage of students meeting grade level increased by two percentage points from the previous year. The percentage of third-graders mastering grade level performance in reading increased from 18% in 2024 to 21% in 2025, according to officials.

Godley ISD officials said “only a portion” of the district’s kindergarten students attend pre-K beforehand. The district offers full-day pre-K for eligible students and tuition-based pre-K for other families who don’t meet state criteria. Once enrolled in kindergarten, assessment data shows “significant student growth from the beginning to the end of the school year,” officials said.

“The district continues to explore ways to increase the percentage of children attending Godley ISD pre-kindergarten,” officials said. “Once students enter kindergarten, Godley ISD uses a structured, research-based approach focused on phonemic awareness and phonics. Teachers use mCLASS data to identify skill gaps, provide daily targeted intervention, and monitor progress through weekly assessments.”

“In addition to academics, kindergarten classrooms emphasize language development through frequent interaction and questioning, fine motor skill development through hands-on activities, and clear expectations that support learning and behavior,” Godley ISD officials added.

What parents can do to prepare their kids

To cultivate a child’s kindergarten readiness, also known as school readiness, early childhood development experts recommend parents and guardians be mindful of all areas of their child’s development: physical, emotional, social, cultural, language and cognitive.

The following are practices parents can implement, according to the National Association for the Education of Young Children and Dan Gartrell, a professor emeritus of early childhood education at Bemidji State University.

“The best predictor of children’s success in school and life is a brain that develops in healthy ways, as a result of their attachments with their family, and especially their parents,” Gartrell says.

Talk to your child every day in a “contact talk” during a shared moment of bath time, changing diapers, taking a walk or riding in the car, for example. Stay present in the conversation to listen, encourage and support your child. This builds health attachment between parents and their children while developing the child’s skills in language, socializing, thinking and self-esteem.

Recognize your child’s reasoning skills are still growing. These skills — which include understanding complex situations, hearing others’ viewpoints and staying on task — start to develop at about age 3. Understanding that young children think differently than adults is important in helping them make connections that build their brain, rather than fact-checking them. For example, if a preschool child looks outside the car window at night and says the moon is following, the parent does not need to correct the child at that age but can rather lean into the child’s perspective by saying, “I wonder where it’s going.”

View conflicts as mistaken behaviors instead of misbehaviors. Young children are still learning what are proper and improper behaviors. “One way to think about a mistake is as an error in judgment that may cause or contribute to a conflict. Like all of us, children make mistakes. Young children make more of them because they are beginners in the learning process.”

Aim to teach rather than punish when children experience strong conflicts. Infliction of pain and suffering as a consequence for a person’s actions impedes health brain development through the release of stress hormones, research shows. Consistent stress reactions can lead to a child feeling threatened in a nonthreatening situation, which can cause them to turn to fight-or-flight behavior. “A cycle of stress, acting out, punishment, and more stress, starting early in childhood, can cause problems for an individual throughout life.”

Conflicts have consequences: teach, don’t punish. Parents should show their child another way to behave and show their emotions in a healthy manner when conflict erupts. “The consequence for a child is to understand the adult’s expectation that he or she learn a better way to behave.” Time away from the situation to cool off can help calm young and older family members before they discuss the issues behind the conflicts.

Talk with, not at, your child in a guidance talk. Parents should act as a firm but friendly leader with their children while showing that you are working with them rather than against them during a conflict. “Discuss what your child could have done instead, what can be done differently next time, and how your child could help the other person feel better.”

Discuss and work through repeating problems in family meetings. The goal of these meetings is to show that differences can be addressed in a civil manner through a team effort. “Family meetings are not always popular, but when an adult emphasizes mutual respect as a guideline, the meetings can reduce, prevent, and resolve strong emotional issues, even with young children.”

Remember parents, guardians and adults make mistakes. It’s important for parents and caregivers to forgive themselves and learn from the experience when they make errors. “Note, however, when a family member makes a lot of mistakes, has lots of conflicts — consider this a plea for help. Sometimes families need help from outside. This is OK.”

Lina Ruiz

Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Lina Ruiz covers early childhood education in Tarrant County and North Texas for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. A University of Florida graduate, she previously wrote about local government in South Florida for TCPalm and Treasure Coast Newspapers.