Help Please! May Be Moving to Arlington Schools

My son attends that Kennedale school you are talking about. It is a good school, but there is always room for improvement. I like the idea of being in the city but being in a small school district. I believe the total # of students in KISD is 3100-3500. Kennedale is landlocked so there won't be just a huge amount of growth. There is some growth, but it is limited. I was also going to suggest the charter school in Arlington. I have several friends whose children go there, and they seem to like it a lot. I hope this helps.

Hi S.,

Just a suggestion - our kids live in Mansfield but attend a Charter school in Arlington called Arlington Classics Academy. It is open to children from Tarrant, Johnson & Dallas counties. It is rated exemplary and ther is a wait list but typically it is easier to get in with a kindergartener. There are a few charter schools in the area, maybe that would better suit your needs?
Good luck!
S.

We live in sw arlington off of 287 and my daughter is in the Kennedale school district (2nd grade). I have friends with kids in Arlington school district and have heard no complaints. Go to the city of Arlington's website to get more detailed info on the school programs. Arlington is a great city (in my opinion WAY better than FTW!) I've lived both places and MUCH prefer Arlington!

S., WE used to live in Arlington and my Daughter went to Ditto Elementary right of Green Oaks blvd! It was a GREAT School. I have also heard Great things about the Charter school ther ACA! I personally Like KEllER ISD. My daughters both are in Keller schools and they are much more advance then the AISD! That was part of our Reason why we choosed to move to Keller! but here is a website where you can check the rating of the schools. www.greatschools.net Hope this helps and GOOD LUCK!

To qualify for Pre-K it is the same across the state - your family qualifies for free or reduced lunch.
SUe the TEA website to get some general knowledge about the district, then call your local school and ask the principal for a tour.

http://deleon.tea.state.tx.us/SDL/Forms/

The other point to consider is that it is extremely hard to get into those specialty schools in Fort Worth. I know tons of people that apply and very few that get in because of the lottery system. You might call and ask the stats of how many applied vs how many spots there are. You would hate to pass up the opportunity to live in a house/yard and then not get into the school you were waiting on. Sounds like your parents might want to help you have the opportunity to have more space for the kids - sounds like a good deal. Good luck!

As some of the others have told you, Arlington ISD has more than 50 elementary school campuses and both Mansfield ISD and Kennedale ISD also have campuses in Arlington. All three districts have important information on their websites about the campuses and information on registering. Look on their websites and put in the address to see what school you child would be attending. Then you might ask to arrange a visit to the school to see the location and see what special programs are offered.
My kids have attended both the Arlington ISD and the Mansfield ISD and had great experiences with both at the elementary school level.

It depends on where your house is at. You may be in Arlington, Mansfield, or Kennedale school districts. All three are good districts. Get the house address and call the school district to see which one you would be in. Start with Arlington 1st. I know for Mansfield preschool is free but you have to meet a certain criteria for it. As far as the other districts or a "montessori" type of school - check the websites or call the district and get some information. IMO - moving to a house that is larger and has a yard is well worth it. Good luck in whatever you decide.

Hi S.
I think you may be right... our mailing address is Arlington but we actually live in Kennedale school district. We live east of 287, north of Sublett (basically directly across 287 from the school, but in the subdivision off of the frontage road). Anyway, I can not knock the Kennedale school district since I have never sent my kids there. We send ours to a private school solely because we desire that. Our neighbors' kids go to Arlington Classics Academy and that is an excellent school. BUT the wait list is pretty long. They do a fresh lottery every year, so even in 2011 you would be put into the pool with all the other new applicants. But it is worth checking into.

I will say that all our neighbors did not have anything positive to say about specifically Patterson Elementary (KISD) but that they did love Arthur Middle School (5th and 6th grade in KISD). If Patterson is the school you would be zoned for, I would just look at it yourself. Sometimes some people don't like a school but it would be just fine for you. The best way to judge it would be to get a gut feeling. Then you can trust your own instincts.

and, if you move over here, I belong to a fun mom's group that I found through Mamasource, and I'd love to introduce you to the other moms, if you're interested.

Have a great day and good luck!

Call the Mansfield or Kennedale administration buildings and someone there can direct you to the right person to get a map of the district.