Neighbors have raised questions about plans that would permit the Compass School of Texas to operate a private school on the Northway Christian Church campus — particularly regarding potential traffic issues and future uses of the space.
The proposal still has hurdles to clear. The permit request will have to come before the Dallas Planning and Zoning Commission, which will make a recommendation to the Dallas City Council.
Northway Christian board chair Paul Schmidt recently announced that the church at 7202 W. Northwest Highway, next to Boone Elementary, is planning to shutter its Day School, which serves children from 6 months to 5 years old, in May of 2027 and host The Compass School of Texas. The Day School has operated at Northway Christian for more than six decades.
The Compass School of Texas is a private school for children in Pre-K to fourth grade. It opened in 2023 and is slated to expand to serve students up to eighth grade. Compass Head of School Shelly Sender said the school plans to move to the church from its current campus at 5414 W. Northwest Highway in the fall of 2027.
“The location includes more classrooms and dedicated administrative offices in addition to ample outdoor space, while we build on our current campus,” Sender said. “We look forward to building a positive relationship with Northway and the beautiful surrounding neighborhood.”
Some neighbors and parents of students at Boone Elementary have raised concerns about the potential traffic impacts of having a K-8 private school so close to Boone — concerns those involved in the proposal sought to address at an April 30 meeting.
At the meeting, in a video obtained by People Newspapers, a presenter outlining the project said the maximum enrollment for Compass’ school is 340 students, and that its operating hours will differ from those at Boone Elementary.
The presenter also said a storm shelter is required for the school by law, and that a shelter around 5,000 square feet has been proposed. District 13 Planning Commissioner Larry Hall said the storm shelter is the only external structure that would be added as part of the project.
Hall explained that the 5,000-square-foot shelter proposed will accommodate Compass’ long-term enrollment, as well as Northway Christian Church employees and Sunday service attendees.
Some parents and neighbors, though, aren’t convinced that Boone and Compass’ dismissal times are sufficiently staggered.
They also want additional study of traffic management plans, the special use permit to expire after no more than three years, the ability to review storm shelter plans, an enrollment cap of 340, and a cost-sharing agreement with Highland Park ISD for crossing guard coverage on Wentwood Drive and Northwest Parkway. Those requests were outlined in a letter to Dallas planning staff for addition to the record of the case.
Highland Park ISD said the district has made similar requests, which include staggering arrival and dismissal times by at least 30 minutes from Boone’s schedule and capping enrollment at 350 students for any school operating at the Northway site.
Katelyn Clinton, a Boone Elementary and Northway Christian Day School parent, said she was disappointed to hear about Northway’s plans from a neighbor instead of the church.
After attending the community meeting, she remained concerned that the traffic study had been conducted in an atypical month (January) and may not have considered the impact of bikers or pedestrians coming to or from school or the future growth of Compass and Boone.
But she praised the healthy discussion and dialogue, remarking that “The community, I felt like, really showed up.”
Another Boone parent, Katy Jane Halpin, said she’s hopeful about the plans and would like to see collaboration between the neighborhood, HPISD, Northway, and Compass.
“There’s work that needs to be done. Let’s not be mad, let’s go do the work, saving the viability,” Halpin said. “Maybe there’s a good outcome here where we come up with a better traffic plan.”
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