Frisco ISD Closures: Where North Texas Schools Stand After the Winter Weather Disruptions
Frisco ISD families looking for a simple answer to “is there school today” have been navigating a fast-changing week of winter weather, icy roads, and rolling updates across North Texas. The short version: Frisco ISD has extended campus closures through Thursday, January 29, 2026 ET, as road conditions near several areas have not improved enough for normal operations.
Frisco ISD and the ripple effect across nearby districts
Frisco ISD first began shutting down instruction days earlier in the week as the storm moved through and temperatures dropped. While the heaviest precipitation ended, the bigger issue became what followed: lingering ice, freezing fog in some pockets, and slow-to-melt neighborhood streets that impact buses, teen drivers, and staff commutes.
Those same conditions pushed a broad set of “school closings and delays” announcements across Collin and Denton counties, with districts making separate calls based on road conditions near campuses, bus routes, and facility readiness.
A full public timeline has not been released. Further specifics were not immediately available.
Is there school today: Thursday, January 29, 2026 ET
For Thursday, January 29, several major districts in the region have canceled classes, including Dallas ISD, Lewisville ISD, Denton ISD, Prosper ISD, Plano ISD, and McKinney ISD. In Dallas ISD, closures have extended through multiple days as conditions on neighborhood streets remained a concern alongside the ability to safely run transportation and reopen campuses.
In Fort Worth ISD, classes were canceled earlier in the week and the district issued additional winter-weather updates as conditions persisted. Some specifics have not been publicly clarified, especially where district-wide notices vary by program, campus, or scheduled activities.
Outside North Texas, Central Texas districts experienced earlier impacts and then began returning to normal schedules sooner. Austin ISD closed Monday, January 26 and Tuesday, January 27, 2026 ET, then resumed normal operations on Wednesday, January 28, 2026 ET. Leander ISD also closed at the start of the week and later moved to a delayed start as conditions improved.
Houston ISD’s weather response differed because impacts were not uniform statewide; parts of the Gulf Coast and Southeast Texas did not experience the same duration of icy road conditions seen farther north.
Why districts don’t all make the same call
Even when a storm is “regional,” school closure decisions are hyper-local. Districts typically weigh a mix of factors: surface temperatures, whether bridges and overpasses are icing, the condition of neighborhood streets used by buses, and whether campus grounds, parking lots, and sidewalks can be made safe for students and staff.
Operationally, districts also have to consider staffing. If a meaningful portion of bus drivers, custodial teams, campus police, or instructional staff cannot travel safely, a partial opening can quickly turn into an uneven day that strains supervision and student services. This is why you may see one district reopen while a neighboring district remains closed: the hazards may be concentrated in different parts of each district’s footprint.
Practical impact for families, students, and staff
The disruption hits multiple groups at once. Families with elementary-aged children often need daytime childcare or workplace flexibility when schools close, while secondary students may be balancing make-up assignments and postponed activities. Teachers and campus staff face schedule shifts that can affect lesson pacing, grading windows, and planned assessments.
Athletics, fine arts, and after-school programs are also affected, especially when facilities are closed for instruction and business. That can compress schedules later, creating longer weeks for students and staff once events restart.
Looking ahead, districts are expected to issue another operational update on Thursday, January 29, 2026 ET regarding whether classes resume on Friday, January 30, 2026 ET, or whether additional closures or delays are needed.
