Fort Bend ISD's newest campus opened its doors Tuesday, Aug. 11, in Fresno, welcoming the inaugural class of Coleman Cowboys to Amy Coleman Middle School on the first day of the 2026-27 school year.
The 240,657-square-foot building at 22200 S. Post Oak Blvd. is the district's 16th middle school and one of the first completed projects from the $1.26 billion bond program voters approved on May 6, 2023.
Campus leaders and staff greeted students and families at the main entrance as part of a grand opening event that ran from 8:15 to 9:15 a.m., with doors opening at 8:20 a.m., according to KPRC 2.
Who was Amy Coleman?
The school honors Amy Coleman, Fort Bend ISD's first Black female principal. Community members nominated her for the honor around the 20th anniversary of her death, and the board approved the name in May 2025, according to Community Impact. The campus was previously known simply as Middle School No. 16.
What's inside
Designed by architecture firm Corgan, the building features floor-to-ceiling glass, interior glass walls and dedicated learning pods for each grade level. Those pods include open collaboration space, classrooms, multi-purpose labs and digital STEM labs.
A media library and common space at the building's center connect to an outdoor learning and dining courtyard. A competition gymnasium and secondary plaza can host community activities after hours.
The campus also houses one of six new Middle School Choice Programs the district is launching this year. Coleman's specialty is Aviation & Aerospace, offering flight simulators, drone programming, CAD design and build-and-fly projects.
Growth and closures on the same day
The new school serves a growing population in the Fresno area. But the same day it opened, seven FBISD elementary campuses did not reopen after the board, led by President Kristin Tassin, voted March 9 to close them due to years of low enrollment. The shuttered schools are Austin Parkway, Dulles, Arizona Fleming, Edgar Glover Jr., Mission West, Ridgegate and Sugar Mill elementaries.
The district approved a 2026-27 budget in June with a $32.8 million shortfall.
It is a first day of contrasts. The bond program that built Coleman Middle School still has projects in progress across the district, while Superintendent Dr. Marc Smith's administration navigates the budget gap left by declining enrollment elsewhere.
