Flower Mound's only college campus will shut down next year after enrollment fell 70% in less than a decade.

North Central Texas College's (NCTC) Board of Regents voted to close the 32,000-square-foot campus on Parker Square Road by Aug. 31, 2027, the Denton Record-Chronicle reported. The campus opened in January 2011 and is the only NCTC location in southern Denton County.

The college cited declining enrollment, rising costs and increasing academic demands as the key reasons. Enrollment at the Parker Square campus has dropped 70% since 2017, an NCTC spokesperson said. Community colleges across North Texas have also faced growing competition from universities opening satellite campuses in the region.

Money is at the center of the decision. NCTC's Denton County campuses collect no local tax revenue and rely entirely on tuition and fees. Gov. Greg Abbott's statewide freeze on public college tuition, in effect since November 2024, has blocked the school from raising rates. The Texas Tribune reported May 27 that Abbott reiterated the freeze applies to the 2026-27 school year.

The result: NCTC ran the Flower Mound campus at what the college described as a significant loss last year, with projections that the loss would grow in the current year.

"The most important consideration throughout this process will be our students," Chancellor Brent Wallace said in a statement. "We will work carefully with students to minimize disruption to their academic progress."

Board of Regents Chair Karla Metzler said the decision was not made lightly and called it necessary to align the college's resources with enrollment trends.

NCTC advisers plan to work with Flower Mound students over the next year to help them transfer to the college's other Denton County campuses in Denton, Corinth and Champions Circle, near Texas Motor Speedway. Virtual and online classes are also available.

NCTC administrators will review faculty and staff positions tied to the Flower Mound campus for reassignment to other locations. Some positions could be eliminated if they are no longer necessary, according to a college press release.

NCTC owns the Parker Square Road building. The board directed administrators to evaluate options for the site, including a possible lease, sale or reassignment to another use. Wallace will lead the development of an implementation plan, though no timeline for that plan has been announced.

NCTC's presence in southern Denton County stretches back to the 1970s, when it offered classes at Lewisville High School and later Marcus High School, according to the Cross Timbers Gazette. The college, founded in 1924, is headquartered in Gainesville and operates seven campuses across Cooke, Denton and Montague counties.

The nearest remaining NCTC campus for Flower Mound-area students seeking in-person classes is in Corinth.