Austin ISD to hold off on 3 school closures, delay boundary changes

How we got here

In early October, AISD announced plans to close 11 elementary schools and two middle schools, rezoning 98% of campuses, and changing the dual-language and Montessori programming offered at certain schools in the 2026-27 school year.

The sweeping changes come as AISD works to reduce thousands of vacant student seats amid an ongoing decline in enrollment and a mounting budget shortfall. Under the initial plan, AISD expected to save $25.6 million through reducing administrative and support staff at merging campuses and lowering costs for utilities, transportation and food service.

After receiving community feedback, the district shared a revised plan Oct. 31 that adjusted some attendance boundaries and updated the district's policies related to transferring between campuses, transportation and dual-language programming.

The updates allowed rising sixth and ninth graders to stay at their current feeder school, transfer students to stay with their peers at their new campus and the automatic approval of transfer requests for siblings.

What community members are saying

Many parents at Maplewood and Bryker Woods elementaries held rallies to protest their schools’ closure on Oct. 29 and Oct. 30, respectively, and voiced their concerns at recent board meetings. Maplewood Elementary parent Adam Sparks organized community members and launched “Let’s Get it Right AISD”—a campaign asking AISD to wait a full year to vote on any campus closures.

Some parents argued that the schools should stay open due to their strong academic performance. Students from Maplewood, an A-rated campus, were slated to be reassigned to Campbell Elementary, which received a D in 2025.

AISD’s school consolidation rubric cited the campuses as "extremely over-enrolled" with Maplewood at 122.22% capacity and Bryker Woods at 117.13% capacity. Palm Elementary was listed as "extremely under-enrolled" with a capacity of 46.01%.

At an Oct. 30 meeting with Segura, some Bryker Woods parents argued that the campus, which has multiple portables, could accommodate more students. Segura said portables were short-term solutions that are expensive to maintain.

What the district is saying

District 4 trustee Kathryn Whitley Chu asked the board to consider not closing Bryker Woods at a Oct. 29 meeting work session.

At a private media briefing Oct. 30, Segura told reporters he did not want to delay making a hard decision past the Nov. 20 meeting but could consider postponing when some of the changes took effect.

“I cannot stop a hard decision based on just one community's voice without really understanding how it impacts the whole,” Segura said on Oct. 30. “The real responsibility we have is supporting 70,000 students.”

In a statement to Community Impact on Nov. 4, District 1 trustee Candace Hunter said that while she acknowledges that some communities will be relieved, "the boardroom will echo with the consequences of our inaction."

"We need only to look to Houston and Fort Worth to understand that privilege will not provide lasting protection," Hunter said. "It is in everyone's interest that the most vulnerable among us be lifted up, not left behind."

This school year, the district restarted Burnet, Dobie and Webb middle schools by hiring new principals and teachers after the campuses received their fourth consecutive F ratings in 2025. If a Texas public school receives five consecutive unacceptable ratings, the Texas Education Agency commissioner must close the school or replace the board of trustees with a state-appointed board of managers.

In late October, the TEA announced it would takeover Fort Worth ISD after a campus received five unacceptable ratings. Houston ISD has been led by a board of managers since June 2023.