The district will be required to close or restart these schools after each campus received three F ratings from the Texas Education Agency, AISD officials announced Sept. 3 in a letter to families.
This summer, AISD began a school consolidation process to close and merge some campuses in the 2026-27 school year due to budgetary constraints and declining enrollment. While AISD didn't use A-F ratings to rank campuses for potential consolidation, the 2025 ratings may now limit the district's ability to combine campuses, Superintendent Matias Segura said in a letter posted to the district’s website.
On Sept. 9, 10 and 15, the district will host virtual meetings to inform community members about its school consolidation process from 6-8 p.m. on Zoom.
What’s happening
AISD must submit turnaround plans to the TEA on how it plans to improve performance at 23 campuses by Nov. 14. The plans are required after these campuses receive two or more unacceptable A-F accountability ratings, which include F or multiple D ratings, from the state in 2025, according to scores released by the TEA Aug. 15.
Twelve of these campuses will “require the most immediate action” by January due to receiving three consecutive unacceptable ratings, the district’s website states. The district could choose to close these schools and reassign students or restart the campus by hiring new principals and staff or partnering with a charter school, according to AISD information.
The 12 affected campuses include:
- Barrington Elementary
- Dawson Elementary
- Linder Elementary
- Oak Springs Elementary
- Pecan Springs Elementary
- Sanchez Elementary
- Widen Elementary
- Winn Montessori
- Woolridge Elementary
- Bedichek Middle School
- Martin Middle School
- Paredes Middle School
Additionally, Eastside Early College High School will require a turnaround plan due to failing to meet federal accountability standards.
How it works
Each school year, the TEA rates Texas districts and schools on an A-F scale based on student achievement, school progress and closing the gaps using State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness scores and indicators of post-graduation success.
Schools must submit targeted improvement plans for campuses with one unacceptable rating and turnaround plans for schools with two or more consecutive unacceptable ratings. Besides closing or restarting a campus internally, other turnaround plan options include partnering with a charter school, opening a new school model or implementing the state’s Effective Schools Framework, according to AISD information.
If a Texas public school receives five consecutive unacceptable ratings, TEA Commissioner Mike Morath must close the school or replace the board of trustees with a state-appointed board of managers. Houston ISD has been led by a board of managers since June 2023, and the state takeover was recently extended until June 2027.
In case you missed it
Burnet, Dobie and Webb middle schools received their fourth consecutive F rating from the TEA in 2025.
This school year, AISD restarted the campuses by implementing the state’s Accelerating Campus Excellence, or ACE, model. The model, costing $1.7 million per campus, involved hiring new school leaders and teachers, extending learning time once a week and using high-quality instructional materials.
AISD offered up to $20,000 in stipends to incentivize high-performing educators to teach at these campuses. The district does “not have the resources to provide the same incentives that we are providing for Dobie, Webb and Burnet” at the 12 campuses now requiring turnaround plans, according to AISD information.
By December, the district is expected to decide on whether to partner with a charter school to manage these schools beginning next school year if testing performance has not improved.
Something to note
In November, the board of trustees is set to vote on closing and merging some campuses as well as revising attendance boundaries and its transfer policy. This comes as the district looks to cut costs amid a $19.7 million shortfall and declining enrollment that is projected is projected to drop by nearly 11% over the next decade, according to a new demographic report by MGT.
The district is aiming to fill 85-90% of its seats by eliminating around 8,600-13,100 vacant seats, or $30 million in cost savings.
In August, the district used a data rubric to rank campuses for potential consolidation using the number of seats filled, facility condition, educational suitability and cost per student. The rubric did not account for a campus’s A-F rating.
Although ISD didn’t want accountability ratings to impact the likelihood of a school being consolidated, “accountability ratings now place some important limits on how we can combine schools and reassign students,” Segura said in a letter on AISD's website.
What else?
The district is recommending implementing the Effective Schools Framework at 21 campuses that received one or two years of unacceptable ratings.
The framework focuses on providing effective instruction, strategic staff, high-quality instructional materials and assessments, positive school culture and strong school leadership and planning, according to the TEA.
At an Aug. 15 press conference, Morath criticized AISD for having “an extremely high number of chronically underperforming campuses.” Morath said schools must have good culture, curriculum, instruction and talent.
“It is very clear that in several of these campuses in Austin, one or all of those things is missing, and they have to get better,” Morath said.
What’s next
Parents and community members can visit the district’s website to sign up to attend a school consolidation meeting Sept. 9, 10 or 15.
Draft turnaround plans will be posted by Oct. 6, according to AISD information. District officials will present the preliminary school consolidation and boundary plan as well as the draft turnaround plans and targeted improvement plans at the Oct. 9 board meeting.
On Nov. 6, the board will vote on the turnaround and targeted improvement plans and district officials will share the recommended consolidation and boundary plan.
The board will vote on the final consolidation and boundary plan at its Nov. 20 meeting.
