A symphony of laughter, music, and cheers greeted students at Spicer Elementary on Wednesday morning for the first day of the 2025-2026 school year.

Jubilation was in the air, and high-fives were passed out to everyone – even from Spicer’s mascot – as families entered the building to a chorus of enthusiasm. Right down the street at Haltom High, the band and spirit squad, the Haltom Herders, lined the front entrance to greet their classmates.

Across BISD, it was a similar scene at the district’s 29 other campuses, as teachers, staff and students united to welcome everyone back to school.

“I love how our teachers and staff pull together as a family – AS ONE – to make this school a home for our students and a place where everyone feels proud,” said Amy Newland, Spicer Elementary principal. “It was amazing to see all of our students again today, and seeing the joy on everyone’s face as they arrived today was incredible.”

There are plenty of reasons for the hype surrounding the start of the school year, with BISD featuring several new campuses and initiatives in 2025-2026.

Both Mullendore and Smith Elementary — two of the district’s oldest schools — opened the doors to their new campuses. In addition, Mullendore Elementary will now serve as the first preparatory Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Academy in Birdville ISD history. The new campus was designed for students to experience a structured pathway to develop STEM fluency and career awareness from elementary school through high school and beyond.

In addition to Mullendore and Smith, Griggs High School also opened the doors to its new campus. Griggs is now located at 4051 Denton Highway in Haltom City with a larger, updated space to best serve students.

"The collaboration areas, updated technology, modern gym facilities, and even a coffee shop give our students more ways to connect, learn, and grow," said Dr. Regina Locke, Griggs High School principal. "Our students walked into a fresh, welcoming new building, and the space truly lit up. This new space will support their learning, well-being, and sense of pride in their school for years to come." 

Mullendore and Smith Elementary, as well as Griggs High, were funded by the BISD 2022 bond referendum. Thank you to the BISD voters and community for continuing the legacies at Smith and Mullendore Elementary Schools, as well as Griggs High, and for providing incredible spaces that will serve current and future generations!

At the high school level, each campus received coffee donations that had been collected from one of our district’s community partners, Black Rifle Coffee Company. In total, more than 130 pounds of coffee were donated and distributed to Richland, Haltom, Birdville and Griggs High Schools to help teachers and staff start the year. Thank you to Black Rife Coffee Company for your continued support of our district, teachers and community!

PTAs from across the district also came together to support BISD campuses, and the BISD transportation department and child nutrition staff were instrumental in helping make the first day of school a tremendous success. Thank you to the PTAs, transportation department and child nutrition staff for all of their work and support! 

BISD begins the year with more than 22,000 students enrolled across 31 campuses, where our teachers prepare them for academic achievement, innovation, and lifelong success.