Case Study: Round Rock ISD (Texas) — Security Window Film Installation

Round Rock Independent School District in Texas turned a statewide safety funding stream into a district-wide glass hardening project. In 2024, trustees approved $908,642.56 to purchase and install forced-entry resistant window film at several campuses, and the district said that by June 2025 every school would have safety film on its exterior windows. This case study shows how Round Rock used grant funding, compliance deadlines, and a phased rollout to make the project practical at scale.

Project Overview: Round Rock ISD, Texas

District context: Round Rock ISD serves the north Austin area and operates a large, complex campus network. The district has been working through Texas school safety requirements while trying to keep projects aligned with grant funding and compliance deadlines.

Scope: Forced-entry resistant window film at several campuses, including Brushy Creek Elementary, Redbud Elementary, Round Rock Opportunity Center, CD Fulkes Middle School, Success High School, Round Rock High School, Cedar Ridge High School, Westwood High School, McNeil High School, and Stony Point High School.

Cost: Trustees approved $908,642.56 for the purchase and installation. A related report described the funding as nearly $1 million.

Timeline: The board approved the project on August 15, 2024, and the district said all schools would have exterior safety film by June 2025.

What the district said: RRISD noted that the film makes it more difficult for an intruder to access schools and gives police or campus staff more time to respond and lock down if needed.

Why Round Rock Chose a District-Wide Rollout

Round Rock's project is a good example of how safety film moves from a one-off retrofit to a planned capital program. Once the district had grant funding in hand, it could prioritize the windows that met Texas Administrative Code criteria and then expand the work across campuses.

• Compliance: The project aligned with Texas rules for ground-level windows near exterior doors.
• Funding: Grant dollars made the project realistic without raiding local operating funds.
• Scale: Film could be rolled out across multiple campuses without major reconstruction.
• Speed: A phased rollout still beats window replacement on both schedule and disruption.

What the Project Covered

Community Impact reported that safety film was headed to large windows near exterior entrances at Round Rock High School and other campuses. The district's own update later made clear that the work would touch all schools, with the exterior windows selected for film meeting the state's forced-entry criteria.

That targeted approach matters. The most vulnerable glass is usually not every window in a district - it's the entry-adjacent, ground-level glass that can be reached quickly. Security film makes those points harder to breach without changing the entire building envelope.

Why It Matters

Round Rock's project demonstrates three things schools care about most: cost, timing, and defensibility. A nearly $1 million allocation is meaningful, but it still compares favorably with a full glazing replacement across a large district. Just as important, the project was framed as an operational safety measure, not a disruptive construction campaign.

That matters for schools because security upgrades can fail if they are too slow to install or too disruptive to the learning environment. Security film is attractive precisely because it buys time without turning hallways into job sites.

Lessons for Other Texas Districts

Use the grant window while it is open

Round Rock is a reminder that safety projects often move fastest when districts can tie them directly to grant funding and state requirements. If your district has access to similar money, the approval cycle should focus on the highest-risk glass first.

Prioritize exterior glass near entrances

The district did not treat every pane equally. It focused on the windows that matter most for forced entry, which is the right approach for balancing cost and risk.

Measure success in seconds, not slogans

Security film is useful because it delays entry. The important metric is how much extra time it gives staff and first responders, not whether it sounds impressive in a press release.

Key Takeaways

• RRISD approved $908,642.56 for forced-entry resistant window film.
• The project covered several campuses, including major high schools and elementary schools.
• By June 2025, all Round Rock ISD schools were expected to have exterior safety film installed.
• The district used grant funding and Texas compliance rules to justify the rollout.

Find Installers Near You

Related Resources

• Real Schools: Security Window Film Case Studies
• Are Security Window Films Required in Schools? 2026 State-by-State Guide
• Navigating 2026 School Safety Grants for Security Window Film

Sources

1. Community Impact - Round Rock ISD to use grant funding for safety film on windows
2. Round Rock ISD - Safety and Security Fall 2024 Focus