Denton ISD students walked through the doors of their respective schools for the first day of class Aug. 13.

The details: The start of the 2026-27 school year marked the opening of the new Borman Elementary School, which was constructed on the same land as the original building. Teachers and staff were on hand to welcome students to the brand-new facility.

Denton ISD has 45 schools, including 26 elementary schools, nine middle schools, six high schools and academies, and four early childhood centers and alternative campuses. 

It covers 186 square miles and contains all or parts of 19 cities, communities or major developments, according to its website.

Important dates to know: The 2025-26 instructional calendar was approved by the district board of trustees in December 2025. The calendar includes a list of professional development days for the district and details upcoming holidays.

The Downtown Denton Foundation announced Aug. 7 that it awarded $7,500 in grant money to 20 Denton businesses to set up Halloween-themed decor for the city's 31 Days of Halloween events.

Diving in: The foundation gave 10 businesses Tier 1 grants worth $500 and 10 businesses Tier 2 grants worth $250, according to its website. 

There were 46 applicants, and the selection was made based on a scaled rubric that ranked each submission. Criteria included the theme, proposed decoration and display elements, feasibility, foot traffic potential and how the display would add to downtown Denton’s Halloween atmosphere.

The backstory: This marks the second year the foundation gave grants to local businesses for Halloween decor. Last year, 10 businesses received grants.

In April, the Downtown Denton Foundation acquired the Denton Main Street Association, merging the two nonprofits to focus on promoting and preserving Denton, according to previous reporting.

Ahead of the 2026-27 school year, public school leaders in Community Impact’s coverage areas shuttered at least nine individual schools to respond to repeated state accountability issues and stave off state intervention. A new Texas Education Agency rule may make it harder for districts to do so in the future.

The details: Beginning Aug. 16, if a district closes a D- or F-rated campus and transfers the largest share of students from the closed campus to a school with a C, D or F rating, the closed campus’ rating will be assigned to the new campus. 

Districts will only avoid transferring a shuttered school’s rating history if they relocate a plurality of students to an A- or B-rated campus.

Stay tuned: The TEA is scheduled to release A-F ratings for the 2025-26 school year on Aug. 14. If a school receives five failing ratings in a row, the TEA is required under state law to close that campus or replace the district’s board of trustees with a state-appointed board of managers.