Lake Worth ISD

ISD Celebrates 100 Years!

Lake Worth Independent School district is celebrating its 100th anniversary during the 2022-23 school year.

The first school to open was part of the Rosen Heights Rural Independent School District in 1923 Sixteen students occupied a vacant store donated by James Hodgkins, Lake Worth’s first businessman. Hodgkins also helped transport elementary and middle school students to and from school, along with driving high school students to and from North Side High School The district acquired land in Lake Worth to build a new school building in 1936. C.C. White was named the first superintendent for Rosen Heights Rural ISD. After the District had extensive growth and change, it became accredited during the 1937-38 school year under second superintendent S.E. Watson. The first graduating class was in 1939 Lake Worth School was established on May 8, 1940.

The City of Fort Worth, Civil Aeronautics Administration, and Consolidated Aircraft had plans to build an airfield and aircraft assembly plant in Lake Worth in 1940. The board of trustees asked the Texas State Legislature for assistance in providing additional room for the anticipated growth from the airfield.

However, a fire burned down the original school building during the fall of 1943, forcing students to start school in a different, unfinished facility.

On Aug. 17, 1948, the board supported a petition requesting the Army officials of Carswell Field to change the route of the planes to avoid flying directly over the school building Vocational classes such as trades and industries, homemaking, and physical education were made available to students during the 1949-50 school year.

In 1950, the school district became more urban, eliminating “rural” from the name, and became Rosen Heights Independent School District.

A decision was made on June 29, 1959, to change the legal name of the school district from Rosen Heights Independent School District to Lake Worth Independent School District, and it became official on Sept. 1, 1959.

In the 1960s, Lake Worth Junior High School students struggled to learn during the school day and would lose 10 percent in teaching time as they were in the flight path of Carswell Air Force Base. The solution: build a brand new, $495,000 school entirely underground.

Architect Thad Harden said it would be too expensive to buy a plot of land, so “we just dug a big hole and built the school in it." Two stories deep, the building has 18 classrooms, all completely soundproofed for 475 students. The air was changed every three minutes, and with the elimination of dirt, windows, and exposed walls, maintenance costs were drastically reduced.

The 100th anniversary kicked off with the 2022 Homecoming parade on September 28. More activities and events will be held throughout the school year NOTABLE MENTIONS

• Howry Steam Academy - Mr and Mrs N A Howry were both employed by the district

• James Hodgkins Administration

Building - James Hodgkins, Lake

Worth’s first businessman, donated the first school building, a vacant store, in 1923.

• Kittrell Stadium (1982) - M.L. “Kit”

Kittrell became a teacher/coach in 1958. Served the district for almost 30 years as a teacher, coach, and substitute teacher. He also was the football announcer for 20 years.

• Miller Language Academy (2006) -

Marilyn J. Miller served as principal at Effie Morris Elementary.

• Effie Morris Early Learning

Academy (1968) - Effie L. Morris served 44 years in the district as a fourth-grade teacher and principal

• Lucyle Collins Middle School (2006) - Lucyle Collins joined the district in 1960 as a first-grade teacher. In 1968, the community recruited her to teach Distributive

Education as part of vocational classes that prepared students for their first job.

LAKE WORTH SCHOOL WAS ESTABLISHED ON MAY 8, 1940.

Today, LWISD Superintendent of Schools Dr. Rose Mary Neshyba oversees six schools (four academies, one middle school, and one high school) with 3,600 students and more than 500 staff members.