Our History

W. A. Porter was the 15^th elementary school built by Birdville I.S.D. On November 7, 1974, the Board of Trustees accepted a bid of $968,802 for the construction of W. A. Porter Elementary School. It is the only BISD school in Hurst because the school district boundaries were established before city boundaries.

The building was not ready when school started in the fall of 1975, so Porter was housed in the same building as Smithfield Elementary Schools. Can you imagine two complete schools in one building?

In February 1976, the building was ready for students. However, the roads were not paved. During inclement weather that winter, students and staff had to drive through mud until the roads were complete.

Porter opened with Ralph Stafford as the principal; Betty Burkett as the secretary; Nita Mason as the cafeteria manager; and Ilene Ehlrich as the school nurse.