Living in Celina, Texas

Celina ISD serves most of the city, and Prosper ISD serves southern portions, including Light Farms and Sutton Fields; Mustang Lakes has been in Prosper ISD with a Celina ISD elementary planned at its north end. Celina ISD voters approved a $2.295 billion bond on May 3, 2025 for 10 campuses: Vasquez Elementary opened in 2025-26, Willard Middle School opens for 2026-27, three more elementaries are scheduled for fall 2027 in the Uptown, Ramble and Green Meadows neighborhoods, and a second high school is expected in 2029-30 or 2030-31. Boundaries are still shifting, so confirm the zoned campuses for the exact address.

For tax year 2025, a Celina home in Collin County and Celina ISD paid about 2.02% combined (city 0.5764, Celina ISD 1.2089, Collin County 0.1493, Collin College 0.0812 per $100), and the Denton County side ran about 1.97%. On a $512,000 home at 2.02% that is about $10,300 a year, or roughly $860 a month, before exemptions; the $140,000 school homestead exemption brings a typical owner-occupied bill to about $8,500 a year (about $710 a month). Light Farms sits in Collin County MUD No. 1, which added 0.89 per $100 in 2025 (about $4,560 a year more on that same home), and Celina lists 31 PIDs, such as Ten Mile Creek, where a 60-foot lot's 2026-27 installment is $4,796.92. For 2026 the city lowered its rate to 0.571677 and Celina ISD set 1.2088.

NTTA's Phase 4A brings the tollway main lanes from US 380 north to FM 428 in Celina, with opening expected in late 2027. Phase 4B, from FM 428 to the Grayson County line, has no date yet.^[4]

A five-story, 100,000-square-foot civic building with a rooftop community space and an underground library, plus a parking garage of nearly 400 spaces, at about $93 million. Its opening was expected in February 2027, per coverage of the FY 2026-27 budget.^[5]

A 100-acre city park with sports fields, a splash pad, a dog park and an amphitheater next to The Parks at Wilson Creek. Phase 1 broke ground in fall 2025 and was slated to open in 2026.^[6]

Willard Middle School opens for 2026-27, three elementaries are scheduled for fall 2027 and a second high school is expected in 2029-30 or 2030-31, all from the 2025 bond.^[7]

Choate Parkway (Coit Road to Roseland Parkway) was about 60% complete in May 2026, and the Legacy Drive extension from Carey Road to Punk Carter Parkway is in design with completion estimated for December 2030.^[8]

Council adopted a $529.1 million FY 2026-27 budget on Sept. 8, 2026, adding 49 full-time positions, including nine firefighters so the department can move to four-person crews.^[9]

Celina has two electric areas. Homes in the Grayson-Collin Electric Cooperative area must buy power from that co-op, while homes on Oncor's network choose a retail provider on Power to Choose.^[27]

The City of Celina bills water, wastewater and refuse together. Start service through the city's online utility portal or call Utility Customer Service at (945) 362-9006; trash and recycling are collected by the city's contractor, Community Waste Disposal (CWD).^[28]

Once you own and live in the home, file the free residence homestead exemption with the appraisal district for the county your address sits in: Collin Central Appraisal District or Denton Central Appraisal District. Neither charges a fee. Collin CAD accepts it online through its Taxpayer Portal, by mail or in person (not by email), with a copy of your Texas ID showing the home's address. Denton CAD takes applications online through its website.^[30]

Celina ISD: new students enroll through the district's Enrollment page, and its Attendance Zones page maps which campus serves each address. Parts of the city are zoned to Prosper ISD, so check the address before you fall in love with a house.^[32]

Register your vehicle with the Collin County Tax Assessor-Collector (main office 2300 Bloomdale Rd., McKinney) or the Denton County Tax Assessor-Collector (main office 1505 E. McKinney St., Denton), depending on your county. Texas DMV gives new residents 30 days to register, and this is an emissions county, so pass a state inspection first. For your license, the McKinney DPS office is at 400 Power House St. (appointments required); DPS lets you drive on a valid out-of-state license for up to 90 days after moving.^[34]