Northwest ISD names future elementary school in Pecan Square

This week, the Northwest ISD Board of Trustees approved the name of an elementary school coming to the Pecan Square community in Northlake.

The district has been naming its new schools after individuals with strong ties to the area and Northwest ISD, and that trend continues in Pecan Square. The future school, set to open in 2023, will be called Johnie Daniel Elementary. Johnie Daniel worked as a land developer in the area, greatly influencing Northwest ISD’s growth as a leader at Hillwood for 20 years, according to a district news release. He was a founding member of the company’s AllianceTexas team, which has substantially grown the developed area encompassed by Northwest ISD. Daniel also managed Circle T Ranch, a sprawling ranch in the Alliance corridor.

Hillwood donated the land in Pecan Square for this school, and the company also submitted the Daniel name as part of that donation, according to NISD.

Daniel was a longtime Northwest ISD resident and died in 2016 of a heart attack, according to NISD. His wife, Janet, worked for Northwest ISD, and his children and grandchildren all graduated from district schools.

Selections for the school’s principal, mascot and colors will be announced closer to its opening. Johnie Daniel Elementary will be one of three new schools and two replacement campuses that Northwest ISD will open in 2023.