LISD Names Durham Middle's New Principal — With 29 Years of Experience Behind Him

If you have a kid at Durham Middle, you now have a name to research before the first day of school.

John Engel was announced as the new principal of Durham Middle School at the district's regular board meeting on June 8. He joins LISD from Fort Worth ISD, where he served as principal of Southwest High School since 2015, bringing 29 years of public education experience and an extensive record of campus leadership across all grade levels.

That resume isn't just a number. Engel began his career in 1997 as a classroom teacher before moving into administration, and he served as principal of Mary Louise Phillips Elementary in Fort Worth ISD from 2004 to 2008, achieving Recognized accountability status and multiple Gold Performance Acknowledgements during his tenure. He then led McLean Middle School from 2008 to 2015, earning Distinction Designations in all seven evaluated areas in the campus's final year under his leadership. Elementary, middle, high school. He knows what each level actually looks like from the inside.

At Southwest High School, he led steady, sustained academic growth while simultaneously overseeing a campus renovation and securing a community grant to establish a student resource market providing food security and support services to families. That last part matters. Durham Middle isn't a quiet suburban campus with easy demographics. Durham is one of three campuses designated as Tier 3 under LISD's Project RISE initiative — the district's data-driven, tiered compensation model designed to direct elevated support and resources to Title I campuses where investment can have the greatest impact on student success. This hire was made knowing exactly what the building needs.

"I am honored to join the Durham Middle School community and excited about the opportunity ahead," said Engel. "I look forward to partnering with an incredible staff and engaging families to build a school where every student is known, challenged and supported."

Standard opening line for a new principal. What it actually means depends entirely on what he does in September. Watch how he handles the first parent complaint. Watch whether staff communication changes in tone. Watch whether the Project RISE resources he's been handed show up in classrooms or get absorbed into administration. Twenty-nine years means he's seen what works. It also means he has habits.

Engel holds a Bachelor of Science from Salisbury University and a Master of Education in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies from the University of Texas at Arlington. The UTA degree means he's studied Texas school policy specifically — not a small thing when LISD has been through real budget turbulence lately.

For Durham families, the fog has lifted. You know who's running the building. The rest gets settled in fall.