|
February 11, 2026 – In 2023, Midland ISD partnered with Third Future Schools, through The Coperni Project, to address school improvement at Lamar Elementary. The partnership was launched to address academic challenges, with the understanding that Third Future Schools would operate the campus for a three-year period before transitioning it back to Midland ISD. That expectation was clearly outlined in both the partnership agreement and the associated financial plan. The current partnership term is scheduled to conclude in June 2026.
Each year, the district monitors enrollment trends and projections to ensure district facilities are best utilized for serving students and our community, and Midland ISD is preparing to repurpose Lamar Elementary from a neighborhood elementary school into a districtwide Disciplinary Alternative Education Program (DAEP) campus and to close the current campus used for the Midland Alternative Program. This decision is driven by historically low enrollment at Lamar Elementary, which has remained a concern over multiple years and even prompted the district to previously redraw boundary lines to zone more students to the campus. Even with the intentional efforts, only 51% of students who are zoned to attend Lamar Elementary have chosen to enroll at the campus, with the remaining students enrolling at other schools. This repurposing will allow all students placed in DAEP to be served at a single, centralized location.
In addition to the proposed repurposing of Lamar Elementary, the district will also recommend adjustments to attendance boundaries for students currently zoned to attend Lamar. Other campuses that would serve these students are within a 1.5-mile radius of Lamar. These proposed changes will be presented to the Board of Trustees at the regular board meeting on Tuesday, February 17.
Separately, Midland ISD will recommend entering into a partnership with Third Future Schools to operate South Elementary School beginning in the 2026–2027 school year. Third Future Schools currently operates Sam Houston Collegiate Preparatory Elementary and has demonstrated academic success with its instructional model. Under the proposed partnership, Third Future Schools would operate South Elementary for three years, similar to the previous partnership at Lamar Elementary, focusing on a turnaround model to ensure South Elementary can make the long-term improvements needed to get back on track academically. South Elementary would remain a neighborhood school, and students living within the attendance zone would continue to have priority enrollment.
Midland ISD remains committed to thoughtful planning, transparency, and supporting students, staff, and families throughout these transitions.
|
![The image depicts the logo of the Midland Independent School District, which was established in 1907. The logo features a star and the letters "M" and "I" in red and blue colors against a white background, surrounded by a circular border with the text "MIDLAND INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT" and "EST. 1907".]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1750189250/midlandisdnet/phoxynprgigaqrpkdrkb/NEWLogos11.png","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1750189250/midlandisdnet/phoxynprgigaqrpkdrkb/NEWLogos11.png","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1750189250/midlandisdnet/phoxynprgigaqrpkdrkb/NEWLogos11.png","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1750189250/midlandisdnet/phoxynprgigaqrpkdrkb/NEWLogos11.png","width":1080}])
