With almost 35,000 students leaving Houston ISD from the 2016-17 school year to the 2024-25 school year, enrollment losses
have been a persistent problem, local stakeholders said.
“When a school district loses ... students, they’re also losing funds generated by the state education formulas,” said Toni Templeton, University of Houston senior research scientist, who co-authored a Jan. 15 report on the district’s enrollment loss. “Without funds generated from those formulas, you don’t have money to pay teachers ... [or] money to keep the lights on.”
The overview
Enrollment loss played a large part in why HISD leaders recommended the district’s board of managers close 12 schools in June, Superintendent Mike Miles said during the district’s Feb. 26 special meeting. The same day, HISD’s board of managers unanimously voted to close the schools—a choice district leaders said will save HISD between $14.6 million and $20 million.
While it wasn’t mentioned during the Feb. 26 meeting, HISD’s budget for the 2025-26 school year included a $39.9 million shortfall when initially approved.
“It’s a tough decision,” Miles said. “We recognize that, but we got to the point where the school facilities—to repair them is so
much more expensive than replacing them at the end of the day. ... besides the enrollment problem.”
Zooming in
Enrollment loss has been steady at HISD for years, according to a Jan. 15 report released by the University of Houston’s Institute for Education Policy Research & Evaluation.
However, a growing number of students have been leaving the district since the state took over the district in June 2023, the report shows. From the 2022-23 to the 2024-25 school year, the district lost roughly 13,200 students, or about 7% of its total population.
Courtney Isaak Pichon, CEO of area education nonprofit Good Reason Houston, said the decline is not a problem unique to HISD.
“Most large urban districts are seeing that major decline in enrollment, and our districts aren’t even necessarily on the top of those lists,” Isaak Pichon said.
Isaak Pichon pointed to several factors she believes are contributing to the decline, including demographic shifts, immigration enforcement, expanding school choice and lingering fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The cost
Besides enrollment loss, Miles said one of the biggest factors in the district’s decision was the increasing cost of maintenance at most of the schools proposed for closure.
He estimated that the cost of rebuilding an elementary school would be around $75 million, while the cost to renovate an elementary school would be around $40 million. Of the 12 campuses scheduled to close, nine are elementary schools.
In November 2024, roughly 58% of voters voted against the district’s $4.4 billion bond program, which would have provided funds for school renovations, safety improvements and security upgrades, according to Harris County Elections.
HISD used the Facility Condition Index to compare the condition of its facilities as of this year. A score of 65% or more typically means the building should be replaced. Nine of the 12 closing campuses received FCI scores of 65% or higher, with two campuses that will receive students of the closing schools also scoring above 65%.
Another viewpoint
Before HISD’s board of managers voted to close the 12 schools during the Feb. 26 meeting, parents, students and elected trustees urged the district to vote against closing schools or to at least delay the decision.
Community member Billy Williams expressed concerns about closing Burrus Elementary.
“Burrus is not just a building, it is a living landmark,” Williams said. “For generations, it has been the heart of our historic Black neighborhood. A place of learning, stability and pride. Closing it would not just shutter a school ... it erases a tangible piece of our history.”
Deysy Arellano, a Port Houston Elementary parent, expressed concern about the distance some children will need to walk to their new campus.
“We walked the route our children will be expected to take for the other campus,” Arellano said. “It took us 30 minutes. Do you expect a child to walk 30 minutes?”
Also of note
Isaak Pichon said education savings accounts could also result in further enrollment loss.
The $1 billion program, which Texas lawmakers approved in 2025, is designed to expand educational options by offering $2,000 to homeschooled students, $10,474 for private school tuition and related expenses, and up to $30,000 for students with disabilities.
“There certainly is going to be an impact from ESAs, but we’ll have to wait to know more,” Isaak Pichon said.
As of March 9, roughly 8,900 HISD students had submitted applications to be included in the program—the most by any district statewide, according to Texas Education Agency data.
With funding capped at $1 billion for the 2026-27 school year, between 90,000 and 100,000 students will likely be accepted, according to the Texas Comptroller’s Office. Approximately 156,000 applications statewide had been submitted as of March 6.
One more thing
For the 2026-27 and 2027-28 school years, shuttles will be available multiple times per morning and afternoon to take students from their former campus to their new campus, HISD leaders said in February.
Contracted staff at the closing schools, who have done well in evaluations, will not lose their positions based on the closures, HISD Chief of Staff Monica Zdrojewski said. Staffing decisions will be made by April 17, and employees can pursue a transfer to another campus if they prefer a different position.
For enrollment loss at large, Isaak Pichon said she believes HISD and other affected districts should use this moment as an opportunity.
“In an era where there are more options for families than ever,” she said. “School systems really need to make sure they’re offering students a safe, rigorous, relevant learning environment that’s going to actually prepare them to lead meaningful lives beyond high school graduation.”
