Austin ISD is proposing to close Paredes Middle School before classes resume Aug. 18, with current students transitioning to Bailey or Mendez middle schools based on their home addresses, Superintendent Matias Segura announced July 22.
What’s happening
The proposed closure follows targeted district investments at Paredes over the past year aimed at boosting academic achievement, according to a district news release.
Despite those efforts, district leaders determined student growth “has not progressed rapidly enough to serve students effectively,” per the release.
"Middle school is a critical bridge to high school, college, and future careers," Segura said in the release. "We cannot afford to wait when we have the ability to give these students access to stronger academic environments right now."
By moving students to Bailey and Mendez, the district said it intends to connect them with “expanded academic programs” and “robust learning opportunities,” including:
- Instruction aimed at getting students ready for high school
- More elective, fine arts and athletics options than Paredes offers
- Counseling at each campus, plus tours and welcome events before the move
District teams are finalizing logistics around course offerings, after-school activities, community partnerships, transportation routes and enrollment transfer options, per the release.
Every current Paredes employee would be placed in a position within the district, and the district said there would be no job losses as a result of the consolidation.
The context
The proposal marks a shift from this spring, when the district paused additional school closures after trustees voted in November to close 10 schools and approve turnaround plans for 17 additional failing campuses, according to previous Community Impact reporting. Paredes was among the campuses placed in a turnaround plan rather than closed.
One receiving campus has its own turnaround history: AISD retook control of Mendez Middle School in January following the end of a charter partnership, according to previous Community Impact reporting.
Paredes enrolls 635 students as of April, according to AISD, and the campus population is 82.1% Hispanic and 82.6% economically disadvantaged, per the most recent state data. The school has received three consecutive failing accountability ratings from the Texas Education Agency.
How we got here
The proposal landed two days after AISD announced it will fully operate Burnet, Dobie and Webb middle schools this fall, following the mutual end of its management partnership with the Texas Council for International Studies after the TEA declined to grant state partnership benefits.
The district has been navigating state accountability pressure for more than a year. The TEA has warned it could appoint a conservator if the district failed to submit satisfactory improvement plans for underperforming schools, and state law requires the TEA commissioner to close a campus or take over a district when a school receives five or more consecutive failing ratings.
AISD is also under significant financial strain, adopting its 2026-27 budget in June after weighing $181 million in projected shortfalls, according to previous Community Impact reporting.
What’s next
The district's board of trustees will hold a special information session Tuesday, July 28, followed by a special voting meeting Thursday, July 30, both at 6 p.m. Community input will be sought at both sessions, per the release.
If approved, the closure would take effect before the school year begins Aug. 18.
