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Air Force
School Liaison
709 9th Avenue
Bldg 960
Sheppard AFB, TX 76311
940-676-6774
940-363-1750
312-736-6774
Contact information for key programs and services at this installation.
Each installation provides information about the types of schools and programs offered on or near your installation for your child. Learn about the types of programs, guidelines and requirements for each school. Whether you choose to send your child to a Department of Defense School, a private school or public school, your installation can help you explore all of your options to make the right decision for you and your child.
Introduction
In Wichita Falls, Texas, various types of schools can be found for Pre-K through 12th grade including public schools, private schools, and charter schools. There is one elementary school on the installation, Sheppard Elementary.
Texas Region 9 Education Service Center (ESC) serves 37 school districts and encompasses 105 campuses (schools) across 12 counties, including the Wichita Falls area. Due to the proximity to the base, the large majority of the Sheppard AFB families choose Wichita Falls Independent School District (ISD) and Burkburnett ISD as their preferred district. However, those living outside of town in more rural areas attend smaller districts including Holliday, Iowa Park, City View, Windthorst, and Archer City school districts to name a few. Any school district’s state accountability rating and demographic info can be reviewed at https://txschools.gov
With the passing of Texas House Bill 2892, students who are children of service members can be transferred to a preferred school regardless of domicile. However, a school district is not required to provide transportation to a student who transfers to another campus or district. For a student to attend a district outside of zoned residency, enrollment in the zoned school must occur first. Then, a transfer request form will need to be completed (located on the district website) - list “Military Request-HB 2892” as the reason for the transfer.
Meals are available for purchase at all schools, and some students may qualify for the free/reduced-rate lunches depending on household income.
Before and After School Programs are available in the local area for a fee. School sports programs and band are available and are popular community events.
Private and charter schools are also available throughout the area, and many private schools offer military discounts to the Sheppard AFB families.
More and more military-connected families are choosing homeschooling as the preferred method for educating their children. Sheppard AFB School Liaison and the Wichita Falls area have many resources and support options available to homeschooling families.
Registration Requirements
The following checklist of items to either bring or have sent from your current school district should help ease the transition of your student into a new school district:
Others:
Attendance Requirements in Texas
The Texas attendance rules state that a student must be in a class at least 90% of the time to get credit for that class. This rule applies even for students with an Individualized Education Program (IEP) or Section 504 plan. The school year is approximately 180 days. Although Texas schools moved away from counting days to counting minutes, it works out to be pretty much 180 days for a school year. (House Bill 2610, passed by the 84th Texas Legislature, amends Section 25.081, Texas Education Code, by striking language requiring 180 days of instruction and replacing this language with a requirement that districts provide at least 75,600 minutes of instruction, including intermissions and recess).
Texas Grading System
In Texas, the standards for education are known as the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS). These are statewide standards that outline what students should know and be able to do at each grade level and in each subject. The grading scale is a PASS/FAIL system. A passing grade is 70 or above. (100-90= A; 89-80=B; 79-70=C; 69 and below is failing)
Kindergarten
While the typical age for kindergarten enrollment is five years old by September 1 of the current school year, it is not mandatory for children to start school at this age. Texas does not have compulsory kindergarten attendance. However, from age 6 to 19, children must attend school either public or private (includes homeschooling) until they graduate or get a GED. If a child has been enrolled in school for Pre-K, kindergarten, or 1st grade, the child must continue going to school that academic year, even if he or she is not yet 6.
Early Entrance Into 1st Grade
Early entrance into 1st grade is specifically permitted by state policy. TEC §42.003(c) states that a child may be enrolled in the first grade if he or she is 6 years old by the beginning of the school year, has been enrolled in a first-grade program in another state, or has successfully completed kindergarten in another state. Any five-year-old child may be assigned to 1st grade if the local district determines it is appropriate.
Keep in mind, according to the Military Interstate Compact Sec 3.102(b), military-connected students shall be allowed to continue their enrollment at grade level in the receiving state commensurate with their grade level (including kindergarten) from a local education agency in the sending state at the time of transition, regardless of age. In the case of a kindergarten student, the student must have been enrolled and attended class in the sending state in order to assure continued attendance in kindergarten in the receiving state.
A student that has satisfactorily completed the prerequisite grade level in the local education agency in the sending state shall be eligible for enrollment in the next highest grade level in the receiving state, regardless of age. A student transferring after the start of the school year in the receiving state shall enter the school in the receiving state on their validated level from an accredited school in the sending state.
Graduation Requirements in Texas
Currently in Texas there are four graduation programs:
A credit is a unit of measure awarded for successful completion of a high school course. To graduate under the Foundation High School Program, students must earn a minimum of 22 credits in the following areas:
End of Course (EOC) Exam Requirement
Refer to the https://tea.texas.gov/academics/graduation-information/state-graduation-requirements for more information.
Gifted Education
Gifted education is offered in each district. Parents may request gifted education for their children each school year during a designated referral window. If a student received gifted education services at their previous school, they will qualify for similar services at their new school upon enrollment. However, the new school has the right to reevaluate the student to determine continued eligibility at their discretion.
Purple Star Schools
The Purple Star designation was established by the Texas Education Agency (TEA) to recognize public schools that provide high-quality support to meet the unique needs of military-connected students and their families. The following schools in our area currently hold the Purple Star Designation: Burkburnett High School, Burkburnett Middle School, and I.C. Evans Elementary School in the Burkburnett District.
Any school district’s state accountability rating and demographical information can be reviewed at this website.
Exceptional Family Member Support
The SL works with all the area schools to ensure quality education for families under the Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP) in conjunction with the school counselors, teachers, principals, base personnel, and local/state politicians/dignitaries to ensure compliance with federal and state laws governing education. The SL also works closely with the Exceptional Family Member Program-Family Support (EFMP-FS), the Exceptional Family Member Program-Medical (EFMP-M), and the Exceptional Family Member Program-Assignments (EFMP-A) to provide comprehensive assistance including Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) and information and referral regarding educational, medical, financial, and social services resources to families.
Our Sheppard AFB families have students spread out over 46 public schools near the installation. However, most of our military-connected students attend Wichita Falls Independent School District (ISD) and Burkburnett ISD. The next largest enrollment of military-connected students is at Iowa Park Consolidated Independent School District (CISD), Holliday ISD, City View ISD, Windthorst ISD, and Archer City ISD. You may review any school district’s state accountability rating and demographical information at https://txschools.gov/.
The Wichita Falls ISD is the largest school district of the 38 public school districts operating in the North Texas area.
WFISD has 24 schools serving more than 12,000 students - two early childhood campuses, 14 elementary schools, three middle schools, two traditional high schools, one career and technical education center and one alternative education center. View the district map at https://www.wfisd.net/fs/resource-manager/view/b345ad70-cf1c-4aeb-946b-57b341f1e906.
The district's state-of-the-art Career Education Center, opened in 2017. Here, students are trained in one of 26 career pathways. Each provides students with a multitude of post-graduation opportunities.On November 3, 2020, Wichita Falls voters approved a $290 million bond, giving approval to build two new identical high schools. The bond allowed the District to replace high schools that are between 60 and 100 years old.
The two new high schools opened in Fall 2024. One school, Wichita Falls Legacy High School, is located on 180 acres in southwest Wichita Falls’ Legacy Park at Windthorst Road and Henry S. Grace Freeway, a site north of the Career Education Center. The second identical school, Wichita Falls Memorial High School, is located on 104 acres in southwest Wichita Falls at 6422 Seymour Highway.
Wichita Falls ISD's Career Education Center (CEC) offers diverse pathways across many clusters, including Automotive (Collision, Tech), Construction, Health Science (CNA, EMT, Pharmacy Tech), IT, Education & Training, Agriculture, Arts (Audio/Video, Graphic Design), Business, Culinary Arts, Cosmetology, Criminal Justice, and Engineering, preparing students for workforce entry, military, or college through hands-on learning and industry certifications.
Burkburnett Independent School District is a public school district based in Burkburnett, Texas, United States, serving over 3,000 students. The district encompasses the city of Burkburnett and surrounding areas in Wichita County, including a significant number of students from Sheppard Air Force Base (SAFB). Burkburnett ISD offers education from Pre-K through 12th grade.
Burkburnett ISD operates several campuses
Burkburnett High School (Grades 9–12) Burkburnett Middle School (Grades 6–8) Overton Ray Elementary School (Grades 3-5) I.C. Evans Elementary School (Grades Pre-K–2) John G. Hardin Elementary School (Grades Pre-K–5)
Burkburnett ISD offers traditional high school courses and a robust Career and Technical Education (CTE) program. Burkburnett ISD (BISD) CTE pathways include Hospitality & Tourism (Culinary Arts, Cosmetology), Human Services, and Information Technology (C4TECH), plus Manufacturing (Robotics), focusing on practical skills for careers in tech, food service, beauty, and more, often leading to industry certifications like Microsoft or CompTIA. They also have programs in Health Services and partnerships like Air Force JROTC, all designed to give students job-ready skills and college prep.
PRIVATE SCHOOLS
There are several private schools to choose from in Wichita Falls, TX.
These are some of the most popular private schools in Wichita Falls: Wichita Christian School (Pre-K-12), Holy Family (K-8), Chesterton Academy (9-12), and Christ Academy (K-12).
Enrollment for private schools can be done in person and online. More information about each can be found on their respective websites.
HOMESCHOOLING
Homeschoolers are not regulated in the same ways that traditional or accredited private schools are regulated in Texas. Homeschools in Texas are private schools for the purpose of compulsory attendance and private schools are not regulated by the state (Texas does not regulate the number of days per year that private schools must be in session or the number of days a student must attend). There is also no minimum amount of hours of instruction for each day. The school district also has no authority to approve curricula used by private schools. Read more about the differences in regulation of private schools and homeschools in Texas on the Texas Home School Coalition website.
Sheppard AFB has plenty of great support on base and throughout the community to enhance your child’s learning. There is a Sheppard AFB Homeschoolers Group that meets several times each month at the base library. There is also a local Homeschooling group outside the gates, Home Educators Around Texoma or H.E.A.T. https://www.wfheat.org/
Extracurricular Participation for Homeschoolers
The Sheppard AFB Youth Center offers one-hour Physical Education classes on Fridays for military-connected homeschoolers. Call 940-676-5437 to register.
Homeschool students are permitted to participate in the University Interscholastic League (UIL) athletic and arts programs within the Burkburnett ISD. Contact your School Liaison if you would like to participate and they will connect you with the schools.
Other Resources:
Texas Homeschool Coalition, National Homeschool Association, and Homeschool Legal Defense Association are all associations that educate homeschoolers on their rights and protections. https://thsc.org/homeschool-in-texas/
Contact the Sheppard AFB School Liaison (DSN: 312-736-6774 and Comm: 940-676-6774) for more details on available resources and learning opportunities.
The Sheppard AFB AFB School Liaison's (SL) mission is to help military-connected parents ease the impact of the mobile military lifestyle at any point in the military life cycle. The following are means to obtain more information about the program or to make contact:
Sheppard AFB School Liaison Phone numberDSN: 312-736-6774 and Comm: 940-676-6774
Facebook Page: Sheppard AFB School Liaison Office https://www.facebook.com/SheppardSLO