The Houston Independent School District’s decision to close Burrus Elementary School, among 11 other schools, at the end of the 2025-2026 school year has sparked intense opposition in Independence Heights, where residents say closing the historic campus erases a cornerstone of Houston’s Black history.
Why is Burrus ES closing?
The HISD Board of Managers approved the closures unanimously, citing declining enrollment and deteriorating facilities across the district. Superintendent Mike Miles said many campuses are operating far below capacity, making it difficult for the district to maintain buildings and programs.
“Enrollment has declined even faster than after the intervention, but it has still been declining,” Miles said, pointing to Texas Education Agency data showing Houston ranks fifth among major urban districts in enrollment loss since 2018.
HISD leaders also point to infrastructure challenges. Many campuses face major repair needs, and rebuilding or renovating schools can cost millions of dollars. Rebuilding a single elementary school is estimated at $75 million, while a full renovation is estimated at $40 million. Miles said the district cannot continue to operate severely under-enrolled campuses with major structural problems.
The enrollment and demographic reports for Burrus Elementary reveal a school experiencing both underutilization and significant student mobility.
The campus currently enrolls 198 students, despite a capacity of 570, meaning the building is operating at 34.7% of its capacity.
- The attendance pattern shows that 128 students both live in the attendance zone and attend Burrus, while 264 students live within the school’s zone, suggesting that many neighborhood families are choosing other campuses.
- The school has seen 136 transfers out to other HISD campuses and an additional 44 transfers to other school districts or charter schools, compared with 70 transfers into the school from other HISD campuses.
The demographic profile of Burrus Elementary highlights the socioeconomic and racial characteristics of the student population.
- Nearly 240 of the 264 students in the zone are economically disadvantaged.
- The student body is also heavily composed of Black and Hispanic students, with 108 Black students and 143 Hispanic students living in the zone.
- The school also serves 27 students receiving special education services, 35 emergent bilingual students, and six unhoused students.
Community speaks out
For more than a century, Burrus Elementary has served as a cornerstone of the community.
In the early 1900s, as the neighborhood grew, residents established the Independence Heights School in 1911 with help from Harris County. The school expanded over time and, in 1928, moved into a new building and was renamed after James D. Burrus, a formerly enslaved Black educator.
For families in Independence Heights, Texas’ first incorporated Black municipality, the decision to close Burrus Elementary has been deeply personal.
The fight is also far from over. The Independence Heights Redevelopment Council is urging families of the school to file complaints, citing a lack of meaningful community engagement, disproportionate impact on students, and procedural violations.
Mardie Paige, president of Super Neighborhood 13 in Independence Heights, said Burrus was one of the few schools available to Black students in Houston.
“I was a part of this community when Burrus was the only school that would accept Black students. My sister could not go anywhere in Houston but to Burrus. Burrus’s closing is not only detrimental to the students who are there now, but it’s detrimental to the whole community.”
Mardie Paige, president of Super Neighborhood 13 in Independence Heights
“I was a part of this community when Burrus was the only school that would accept Black students,” Paige said. “My sister could not go anywhere in Houston but to Burrus. Burrus’s closing is not only detrimental to the students who are there now, but it’s detrimental to the whole community.”
For Paige, the school’s significance extends far beyond the students currently enrolled.
“When you remove the school, you remove the community,” she said. “You remove the history of the community. The history is now gone.”
State Rep. Charlene Ward Johnson, whose house district includes the campus, urged HISD’s state-appointed board of managers to reconsider their decision before they voted to close the school.
“Burrus Elementary has maintained the status of an A-rated campus and produced outstanding graduates,” Ward Johnson said. “Voting to close the historic Burrus Elementary, a long-standing pillar of that community,…during Black History Month is a slap in the face and a direct attack on the Black community.”
Many residents say the district’s decision came with little warning.
Tonya Wells, executive director of the Independence Heights Redevelopment Council, said the community learned about the proposal two weeks before the board vote.
“They have not tried to engage in the community at all,” Wells said. “It [closure] can displace some families…who don’t have transportation. It is eradicating a historical cornerstone in our community.”
Parents and grandparents with ties to the school say the impact goes beyond logistics.
Mary Kennerson said Burrus has educated generations of her family.
“This place has been there a long time. Tearing it down slowly is just sad,” Kenerson said.
Cailin Kenerson, an aunt and cousin to four Burrus ES students, said many students currently walk to the campus, and closing it, she worries, will create new safety challenges, citing “unreliable” bus transportation.
Another Kennerson family member, Xavier, whose child attends school, said he was “upset” about the closure decision, which came “out of nowhere.”
Former Burrus librarian Brandy Dada also spoke out against the closure, describing the campus as a place that nurtured generations of students.
“I took great pride in being part of such a historic school and being able to provide literacy opportunities to my students,” Dada said. “I noticed that the historical schools in Rice and West View neighborhoods are not up for closure. If sitting on this board is part of a career or political agenda…you are just another footnote in a long history of oppression and systemic racism.”
Community members argue that instead of closing the campus, the district should invest in it.
Billy Williams, a longtime resident, said the closure is “blatant disrespect” toward the community.
“If they would just invest in our community, in our school, we could move forward in a very positive way,” Williams said.
District officials say they are working to minimize disruption as the transition unfolds and have pledged transportation options and outreach to families in the coming months.
