Tricia Lutkenhaus will be the first principal of Barksdale Middle School, which will open in Northlake in August of 2026, announced Northwest ISD.
“I’m incredibly grateful to have the opportunity to open Barksdale Middle School and collaborate with our inaugural teachers and staff to set the culture and standard of excellence at a new school in Northwest ISD,” she said.
She is currently the principal at Gene Pike Middle School and has been in that position for the last four years. Other than serving as a principal, she has also served Northwest ISD as a teacher and an assistant principal among her 25 years of public education experience.
“As both a longtime staff member of Pike Middle School and a parent of students who attended the school, leaving the campus is a bittersweet moment,” said Lutkenhaus. “I look forward to collaborating with its future leader for a smooth transition.”
Lutkenhaus was named Pike Middle School’s Exemplar Educator in 2017. In 2022, she received the Outstanding Principal award from the Texas Association of Secondary School Principals and for the 2024-25 school year, Texas Music Educators Association named her a Distinguished Administrator. Lutkenhaus is currently a member of the Principals’ Institute.
The new principal will be planning activities for Barksdale, but finish out the year as the principal at Pike Middle. At the end of the school year, she will start getting the Barksdale Middle staff together and working with the district to get the school ready for its opening.
Barksdale Middle is named in honor of Floyd Barksdale, a community member that was active in youth sports across the district and served on the Northwest ISD Board of Trustees. It will be located in Northlake next to the Pecan Square master-planned community.
A rezoning process this winter will set official boundaries for the campus.
Lutkenhaus attended the University of North Texas to earn her bachelor’s degree in science before attending Lamar University where she earned her master’s degree in education administration.
