In an effort to eliminate thousands of empty seats and close a large budget deficit, Austin Independent School District’s Board of Trustees voted to close several schools starting next year—but some aspects of the plan still require state approval.
By approving the plan on Friday, the district will eliminate a $19.7 million budget deficit, as the closure of the schools will open up nearly $21.5 million in funding.
According to the plan adopted by the board, 11 schools will be closed:
Barrington Elementary
Dawson Elementary
Oak Springs Elementary
Winn Montessori
Widén Elementary
Becker Elementary
Ridgetop Elementary
Sunset Valley Elementary
Reilly Elementary
Martin Middle
Bedichek Middle
Over 6,000 empty seats will be eliminated by the closures, and more than 3,700 students will be relocated to surrounding schools.
School closures will begin at the end of the 2025-2026 school year, with student relocations beginning in fall of 2026. New school assignments based on addresses can be found here.
Texans for Fiscal Responsibility President Andrew McVeigh told Texas Scorecard that Austin ISD’s decision is a responsible one that moves toward fiscal sustainability.
“For too long, the district has maintained thousands of empty seats while running massive deficits, effectively asking taxpayers to subsidize inefficiency,” said McVeigh. “This plan finally begins to turn things back in a responsible direction.”
McVeigh encouraged Austin ISD to stay the course and “remember that limited resources demand tough but honest choices.”
Originally, the district planned to close three more campuses, but due to feedback from the community, Austin ISD Superintendent Matias Segura adjusted the plan to remove Palm, Bryker Woods, and Maplewood elementary schools from the closure list. Segura also postponed the vote for boundary changes that are outside of the state-required boundary plans until at least the fall of 2026.
As part of Austin ISD’s school‑closure plan, campus turnaround plans and related student reassignments are submitted to the Texas Education Agency for approval.
Turnaround plans are required by state law when a campus receives a second consecutive unacceptable academic rating.
According to the TEA’s website, “the objective of the turnaround plan is to enhance foundational practices as outlined in the Effective Schools Framework at the campus level in order to improve student outcomes.”
District leadership intends to continue gathering feedback from the community while planning for school boundary changes and school closures to balance enrollment.
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