FAQ: Austin ISD's plan to close schools, redraw school zones

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Facing a nearly $20 million budget shortfall and a potential state takeover, the Austin Independent School District has proposed a plan to close several schools and redraw school zone boundaries districtwide, impacting thousands of students and their families.

What are the main points of the plan?

• The plan is currently a draft. A final vote will be taken by the Board of Trustees on Nov. 20.
• Under the current plan, 13 schools will close.
• Four schools will convert to non-zoned Spanish dual language programs.
• One school will convert to a non-zoned Montessori school.
• Changes to school zones and feeder patterns will affect almost every school in the district.

Why did the district introduce this plan?

For months, district leaders have hinted at the consolidation of schools in order to reduce the budget shortfall. Despite already implementing staff cuts and other cost-saving measures, the district passed a budget in June that included a $19.7 million deficit in the general fund, which is used to pay teacher salaries and cover daily operational expenses.

Declining enrollment means the district is bringing in less money, as state funding is tied to enrollment and attendance. Over the past decade, Austin ISD has seen a 14.5% decrease in enrollment, from more than 84,000 students in the 2014-15 school year to about 72,000 in 2024-25.

“As we think about becoming more efficient, because we have limited resources, we need to make sure that those resources go to where they’re needed,” Superintendent Matias Segura told KXAN in August. “We have to think about doing things differently, and that means reducing our overall footprint within Austin ISD as far as structures and number of buildings.”

At the time, Segura said the district was looking at closing “more than a handful” of schools in a bid to reduce costs by $30 million.

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Which schools are slated to close?

In the current plan, AISD aims to close 13 schools. Eleven of those are elementary schools, while two are middle schools.

• Elementary schools: Barrington, Becker, Bryker Woods, Dawson, Maplewood, Oak Springs, Palm, Ridgetop, Sunset Valley, Widen, Winn Montessori
• Middle schools: Bedichek, Martin

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Where will students at closing schools go?

The table below shows which schools students will be reassigned to. The reassignment is based on the students’ address. Maps of the new school zone boundaries are available on AISD’s website.

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How did the district decide which schools to close?

In August, AISD released a score system that graded each school in the district based on capacity, building costs, condition, educational costs and educational suitability. Each school was given a grade of 1-5 in each category, 1 being the highest score and 5 being the lowest. The schools were then given an overall score. Here’s how the district scored the 13 schools set to close:

AISD said it then used four “guiding principles” when making decisions: minimize impact, balance enrollment, clean feeder patterns and long-term stability.

Minimize impact: The district said it wanted to minimize the daily impact of getting to school. When redrawing boundaries, they wanted to put schools near the center of the school zone so travel would be easy for most students. The district said it used natural boundaries, like rivers, major roads and neighborhoods, to make school zones easier to understand.

Balance enrollment: Based on AISD data, capacity of schools ranges from 19.78% at Gus Garcia Young Men’s Leadership Academy to 178.70% at Ridgetop Elementary School. By closing schools and redrawing boundaries, AISD said the number of classroom seats being used districtwide will be 82%, up from 76% currently. The district’s goal is to have 85% of seats in use.

Clean feeder patterns: The district said their goal is to make transitions from elementary to middle to high school easy, “so communities of students stay together and campuses can plan together.” By changing school zone boundaries, AISD aims to avoid splitting communities too many times or into small groups.

Long-term stability: All three points above are intended to make enrollment district-wide more stable to ensure that students zoned to each school can fit inside the building itself. AISD said the plan would not make portables go away completely, but the focus is on getting as many students inside the main buildings as possible.

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How are the schools set to close rated by the state?

Each year, the Texas Education Agency rates every public school in the state on an A-F scale, primarily based on student achievement. Here’s how each of the 13 schools identified for closure rated over the past several years:

Austin ISD faces the threat of a state takeover because of the state accountability ratings at three middle schools: Burnet, Dobie and Webb. If any one campus receives five F ratings in a row, the state can replace the district’s elected Board of Trustees with a state-appointed Board of Managers. Burnet, Dobie and Webb have all received four F ratings in a row as of 2025. An additional 12 schools have received three F ratings in a row.

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What happens to turnaround plans at schools that are closing?

If a school receives an F rating from the state, a “targeted improvement plan” (TIP) is put in place to focus on improving specific areas. If a school receives multiple F ratings in a row, a “turnaround plan” (TAP) is required for the campus. The district describes these as a “comprehensive, intensive and long-term set of changes,” such as overhauling staffing or partnering with a charter school to manage the campus. The plans must be approved by the Texas Education Agency before they are implemented.

Seven of the 13 schools set to close have had multiple F ratings in a row and therefore require turnaround plans. If those schools do indeed close, the turnaround plan does not go away; instead, it follows the students to their new school. If students at a closing school are split among multiple schools, the turnaround plan follows where the majority of students go. Here’s a look at where current turnaround plans will go:

For example, Martin Middle School has received three F ratings in a row. If the current plan is approved and the school is closed, the majority of students will move to Kealing Middle School, which is currently an A-rated campus.

In addition, four schools that will become district-wide dual language programs will also have their turnaround plans transferred to other schools. Two of the four schools in this instance are already rated F by the state.

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What happens to bond money allocated to the closing schools?

In 2022, voters approved a $2.4 billion bond to repair and rebuild schools and add new technology. More than $188 million of that was allocated to the 13 schools the district plans to close.

In some cases, some of that money has already been spent. “While this is unfortunate, students have already benefited this year from safer and better-functioning buildings,” the district said. “We expected some money loss in this process, but the long-term savings and stronger support we’ll be able to give schools and students make it the right choice.”

For the remaining bond money that has not yet been spent, the district will decide how to reinvest that money into other schools. Segura said his recommendation is that the money would move with the students to their new school wherever possible. He also said there may be instances where students move to schools that don’t need a lot of additional funding because the campus facility is already in good shape. In those cases, the district would find alternative solutions to meet the needs of the district overall.

Ultimately, it’s up to the Board of Trustees to decide what to do if any money is left over. However, the district did say the bond is currently over budget due to rising construction costs and inflation.

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What will happen to the buildings if schools close?

AISD said district staff will begin exploring the future use of closed campuses in January, and recommendations will be made to the Board of Trustees by the end of the school year. In each case, the district has three options: reuse the building, lease the building or sell the building.

Each campus will be reviewed in terms of how it can support AISD’s overall strategy to best serve students and staff. After recommendations are made to the board, the community will have the opportunity to provide public testimony before final decisions are made.

Reusing buildings: If this recommendation is made, the district will repurpose the campus. The current plan calls for Bedichek and Martin middle schools to close initially but reopen at a later date, possibly as K-8 schools as opposed to standalone middle schools.

Leasing buildings: If this recommendation is made, the district will maintain long-term ownership of the campus but lease it to an outside organization. This would allow AISD to maintain community benefit while reducing or eliminating the operating and maintenance cost of the campus. As an example, Pease Elementary School, which closed five years ago, is still owned by the district but leased to United Way for Greater Austin to operate an early childhood education center.

Selling buildings: If this recommendation is made, the district will issue a call for offers and sell the campus to the highest bidder to maximize revenue. As an example, the AISD is currently in the process of selling the former Rosedale School to a local developer and builder of multi-family residential buildings.

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What are the new campus feeder patterns?

As part of school zone boundary changes, AISD has made changes to feeder patterns from elementary to middle to high school. The new feeder patterns are listed below. In some instances, students will be split when transitioning to a new campus based on their address.

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Can my child stay at their current school?

Yes, if your child currently attends a school that is not closing or being repurposed to a district-wide program, they can stay at that school even if your school zone changes. Children can stay at their current school through the final grade level it offers. This practice is known as “grandfathering.” Transportation will not be provided for students who are grandfathered.

“Essentially, if you’re a second grader and you go through a shift in your school, we want you to stay at that school if you choose to do so, through third, fourth and fifth grade,” Segura said.

When going through the enrollment process online, parents will be given the option to select their child’s current school if they wish. Segura said because of how complex the changes are, some families’ choices could get missed along the way. If that happens, families are encouraged to reach out to the school board.

“That’s not our intent. We’re not doing it for any other purpose than trying to get it right,” Segura said. “But it is a large system, and so if something is not right, doesn’t feel right, we will have that communication and that those resources out there to let us know, and we’ll make the changes for sure.”

If your child is starting a new school — for example, as an incoming pre-K or kindergarten, sixth grade or ninth grade student — they will need to attend their newly zoned school or apply to transfer to another school.

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Can younger siblings go to the same school as their older siblings?

AISD has always allowed parents to request that their child be transferred to a campus where their older sibling already attends. Transfer requests for siblings are prioritized over other transfer requests, but they are not guaranteed. That policy will remain the same if this plan is adopted.

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When can I apply for a transfer for my child?

The district said the enrollment and transfer process will be split into three rounds. Waitlists will stay active across all rounds, meaning your child may get a seat if space opens up.

• Round One (early spring 2026): Families can apply to special programs, like magnets, dual language, fine arts and Montessori. No general transfer requests or enrollment will be accepted during this round. Each program determines which students can join by eligibility check, lottery or rubric.
• Round Two (mid-spring 2026): Students can enroll at their zoned campus or apply for a general transfer during this time. Some special programs may still accept students if they didn’t fill up in Round One. A lottery system will be used for general transfers instead of a first-come, first-served system.
• Round Three (late spring 2026): Only families with “special situations” can apply for transfer at this time. Applications for pre-K will also open at this time.

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Where will dual language programs be located?

AISD said its goal is to move dual language programs “closer to where emergent bilingual students now live.” The programs aim to serve 50% emergent bilingual students and 50% non-emergent bilingual students. Dual language programs will be relocated as follows:

The Spanish and Mandarin immersion program at Joslin Elementary is a new program AISD will offer beginning in the 2026-27 school year. In schools newly identified as non-zoned dual language programs, students who do not wish to enroll in the program will be reassigned to other schools based on their address:

• Joslin Elementary: Reassigned to Cunningham and Galindo elementaries
• Odom Elementary: Reassigned to Pleasant Hill Elementary
• Pickle Elementary: Reassigned to Hart Elementary
• Sanchez Elementary: Reassigned to Allison, Travis Heights and Zavala elementaries
• Wooten Elementary: Reassigned to Pillow Elementary

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Where will the Montessori program be located?

The district plans to move its Montessori program from Winn, which is set to close, to Govalle Elementary. “By centralizing the Montessori program… we can keep Montessori available while balancing the number of students across the remaining schools,” the district said.

Students currently at Winn will be reassigned to Andrews, Pecan Springs and Hart elementaries based on their address. “We are hoping those families wanting Montessori will continue to travel to the new Montessori program location,” the district said. Students currently at Govalle who do not want to join the Montessori program will be reassigned to Ortega and Zavala elementaries based on their address.

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Where will International High School be located?

AISD’s International High School welcomes students who are new to Austin and the United States. The district said the school develops the “linguistic, cognitive, cultural and collaborative skills necessary for success in high school, higher education and the interdependent world.”

AISD said its population of international students has reduced dramatically, so the campus — currently at Northeast Early College High School — will be closed. Instead, the program will operate at Navarro Early College High School.

Students currently at International High School have three options, according to the district:

• Participate in the International Program at Navarro ECHS.
• Return to their zoned school, based on their address.
• Apply to transfer to any other school.

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How much money does the district expect to save through this plan?

AISD anticipates more than $25 million in savings if the plan is approved:

• More than $20 million in savings from campus staffing reductions, mostly duplicate administration and support positions at schools that are merging. The district plans to use that money to support classroom programs, student services and instructional resources.
• About $1.5 million in savings from food service due to changes in supplies and contracts, as well as staffing reductions as schools consolidate.
• Approximately $300,000 in immediate savings from utilities, custodial work and maintenance at closes campuses. The removal of old portable classrooms will add another estimated $3 million in savings each year.
• The district also expects more long-term savings in fuel, bus maintenance and driver costs as transportation routes will no longer need to serve the closed campuses.

An estimated $12.6 million of the savings will be used to enhance staffing at campuses with turnaround plans, leaving the district with an estimated $13 million in annual savings.

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When will the plan be voted on?

Final refinements to the plan will be presented to AISD’s Board of Trustees at an information session on Thursday, Nov. 6. The board will then take a final vote at its Thursday, Nov. 20 meeting.

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When would the changes take effect?

If approved, the changes would take effect in the 2026-27 school year.

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What have board members said?

There are nine members of Austin ISD’s Board of Trustees, and at least one has already said they will vote “no” on the plan if it stays as is.

“We should not be closing schools that are in demand and have strong academic results. We should not be closing historic schools that tie our community together. And we need to have the patience to allow the community to study the proposal and effectively weigh in,” Trustee Kathryn Whitley Chu, who serves as the board’s vice president, said in a statement.

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How can parents give their feedback on the plan?

The district will host a series of open house meetings for parents and community members to share their thoughts on the plan. You can register for the meetings on the district’s website. Those meetings will take place on the following dates:

• Tuesday, Oct. 14: virtual, focused on south Austin
• Thursday, Oct. 16: virtual, focused on north Austin
• Monday, Oct. 27: virtual
• Saturday, Nov. 8: in person at Delco Activity Center

Segura told KXAN the district has already heard from hundreds of parents and community members since the draft plan was released.

“I think because now that it’s been released, people are able to respond to something, as opposed to not knowing what the plan may include,” Segura said. “So lots of folks have been reaching out, you know, with actually very specific feedback around, ‘Why this or not this?’ or, ‘Would you consider this and not that?'”

“It is a draft plan, so we know that it will change,” Segura said.

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