The district serves the city of Forney, the city of Talty, the small Kaufman County portion of Mesquite (no residents), and other unincorporated areas in Kaufman County.
The district received the academic accountability rating of "academically acceptable" for the 2006-2007 school year based on the results of the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills-based on standards set by the Texas Education Agency (TEA). This marks the third consecutive year that Forney ISD had received this accountability rating, and meant that a minimum of 50-69% of students met state standards in language arts and social studies, a minimum of 35-69% of students met state standards in mathematics, and a minimum of 25-69% of students met state standards in science.
Forney ISD, according to a 2005 article in The Dallas Morning News, is the fourth-fastest growing school district in Texas. A new middle school was opened in the 2006-2007 school year, and remodeling of the old middle school was underway.
After a bond issue for a second high school repeatedly failed in previous years, funds for a new high school were approved in May 2007. The current high school, originally intended to serve as a middle school, has a population that outgrows the building despite recent wing additions.
Opportunity Central, a multipurpose complex that includes space for career and technology high school classes on the second floor and community facilities on the first floor, opened in 2024.[2]
The TEA specified that the parents and/or guardians of students zoned to a school with uniforms may apply for a waiver to opt out of the uniform policy so their children do not have to wear the uniform;[3] parents must specify bona fide reasons, such as religious reasons or philosophical objections. Forney ISD devised a procedure to verify the parents' reasons for requesting exemptions to the uniform policy [4]
In 2022 the district announced that hooded clothing would be no longer allowed.[3] Additionally, the district at that time began only allowing students in grades 4 and below to wear:[4] skirts, skorts, and dresses.[3] An online petition was made that protested the dress code change.[5]
Portions of some school districts extend into other counties.
Some school districts (Quinlan ISD, Rockwall ISD, Wills Point ISD) serve sections of the county but do not operate any high schools in it.
