Some argued that because Forest Brook and Smiley were rivals, putting the students on the same campus would lead to incidents.

Some parents and observers criticized the decision, fearing territorial rivalries would cause tension between Forest Brook and Smiley students.

One, a pitcher and outfielder for the school baseball team who was set to attend Texas College, was charged with criminal mischief in excess of $250,000, a first-degree felony, and was placed on a $999,999 bail.

The Dallas Morning News wrote a July 21, 2007 article explaining cheating at Forest Brook.

The Texas Education Agency (TEA) declared the school to have had no cheating based on scores from 2006 and earlier.

[11] In 2007 Johns Hopkins University referred to Forest Brook as a "dropout factory" where at least 40 percent of the entering freshman class does not make it to their senior year.

[17][18] The three-story academic building is divided by a brook from the cafeteria and the Edgar W. Thomas Activity center.