Three School Districts in Northlake, TX

Northlake doesn’t have a single school district. Three ISDs serve different parts of town, and the lines don’t always follow the boundaries you’d expect.

Northwest ISD covers the largest portion of Northlake, including the Pecan Square community and the western neighborhoods of Canyon Falls, while Argyle ISD picks up the northeast section, including the eastern side of Canyon Falls and parts of the Harvest by Hillwood community. Ponder ISD covers a small area in far north Northlake.

If you’re buying a home in Northlake and the school district matters to you, the address is everything. Two homes on the same road can feed into different districts, attend different campuses, and pay different tax rates.

Northwest ISD at a Glance

Northwest ISD holds an A- rating on Niche and ranks #3 among school districts in Denton County. The district covers 234 square miles across three counties (Denton, Tarrant, and Wise) and serves 14 cities and towns, with its administrative headquarters in Justin.

Enrollment for the 2024-2025 school year was about 31,000 students, and the district has been adding between 800 and 1,200 new students every year for the past decade. The graduation rate for the Class of 2023 was 95.6%.

For comparison, Argyle ISD, which serves the northeast portion of Northlake, holds an A+ on Niche and ranks #1 in Denton County. The difference in Niche grade is something buyers notice, and it shows up in home prices on either side of the boundary line. Homes on the Argyle ISD side of Canyon Falls tend to carry a premium over equivalent homes on the Northwest ISD side.

Northwest ISD Enrollment and Growth in Northlake

About 3,500 new homes are built and sold within Northwest ISD’s boundaries every year, and that pace isn’t slowing down. Demographer projections from Zonda estimate the district will reach about 37,000 students by the 2026-2027 school year, up from about 31,000 in 2024-2025.

Northlake is pushing a lot of that growth. The town’s population has roughly doubled since 2020, going from about 5,500 residents to an estimated 11,000 in 2025. Communities like Pecan Square and the Northwest ISD portions of Canyon Falls are adding hundreds of new homes each year, and each new home with school-age children puts additional demand on existing campuses.

The district saw this coming. In 2023, Northwest ISD voters approved a $1.995 billion bond package to fund 12 new schools and additional facilities.

New Schools Coming to the Northlake Area

Two new campuses are directly relevant to Northlake buyers.

Floyd Barksdale Middle School is under construction near the Pecan Square community and is scheduled to open in August 2026. The campus is expected to start with roughly 800 students and will relieve enrollment pressure at Pike Middle School and Medlin Middle School, which currently serve many Northlake addresses.

Davis High School, Northwest ISD’s fourth comprehensive high school, is being built near North Riverside Drive close to I-35 and SH 170. It’s expected to open in August 2027 with capacity for up to 3,200 students. Davis will initially serve freshmen and sophomores and add a grade level each year.

For Northlake buyers in Northwest ISD, the current campus path typically runs through Daniel Elementary, Pike Middle School, and Byron Nelson High School. With Barksdale Middle School opening in 2026, that middle school assignment will shift for many Pecan Square addresses. Boundary rezoning was finalized in early 2026, so checking with the district for your specific address is worth doing before you close.

Canyon Falls and the Argyle ISD Boundary Split

Canyon Falls is a large master-planned community in Northlake, and it’s split between two school districts. The eastern neighborhoods feed into Argyle ISD, and the western neighborhoods feed into Northwest ISD.

On the Argyle ISD side, students attend Argyle Elementary, Argyle Middle School, and Argyle High School. On the Northwest ISD side, the path runs through Lance Thompson Elementary, Pike Middle School (shifting to Barksdale in 2026), and Byron Nelson High School or Northwest High School depending on the specific address.

The two districts carry different Niche grades (A+ for Argyle ISD, A- for Northwest ISD) and different tax rates. If you’re buying a home in Canyon Falls specifically for the school district, confirm which side of the boundary line your lot falls on before you commit.

How to Verify Your School District by Address in Northlake

One of the first things you should do when evaluating a Northlake address is confirm which school district it feeds into. Don’t rely on the listing agent’s description or the community’s marketing materials.

Northwest ISD has a school zone locator tool on their website where you can enter a specific address and see the assigned elementary, middle, and high school campuses. Argyle ISD publishes district boundary maps on their website as well.

If an address is close to the boundary between districts, check both. And if you’re buying new construction in a community that’s still being developed, confirm the school zoning for your specific lot, not just the community’s general marketing. Boundary lines can run through the middle of a development. If you’re just starting your Northlake research, the free North Texas Relocation Guide covers what to look into before you buy.

Northwest ISD Property Tax Rate in Northlake

Northwest ISD’s total tax rate for 2025-2026 is about 1.08%, which is the second-lowest among school districts with taxes collected by Denton County. It’s down slightly from the previous year.

Combined with the $140,000 homestead exemption on the school district portion, most homeowners in Northwest ISD are paying less in school taxes in 2025 than they did in 2024. On a $440,000 home (close to Northlake’s median sale price as of early 2026), the school district portion of the property tax bill comes out to roughly $3,250 per year after the exemption.

This covers the school district tax rate only. For a breakdown of the total property tax picture in Northlake, including county, city, and any MUD/PID additions, see this post on property taxes in Northlake.