State-appointed leadership of the Houston Independent School District has decided to move forward with a sweeping consolidation plan that will close 12 schools across the district.
Superintendent Mike Miles says the decision is driven by declining enrollment and aging facilities, spurred by long-standing infrastructure neglect.
The Board of Managers will vote on the closures on Feb. 26.
“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.
He added that many districts across the state, including Ysleta, Pasadena, and Alief, are experiencing similar trends.
According to a district presentation shared at a recent board meeting, 11 physical campuses will be shuttered, affecting elementary and middle schools across Houston.
Seven campuses will close outright, while four will be consolidated through co-location, meaning two schools will operate in one building.
The 12 schools recommended for closure are:
| Alcott ES | Students will transition to Mading ES |
| Briscoe ES | Students will transition to Carrillo ES |
| Burrus ES | Students will transition to Kennedy ES |
| Franklin ES | Students will transition to Gallegos ES |
| Henderson NQ ES | Students will transition to Bruce ES |
| Port Houston ES | Students will transition to Pleasantville ES |
| Ross ES | Students will transition to Roosevelt ES or C. Martinez ES (family choice) |
| Cage ES | School and students will move to the Lantrip ES facility (co-location) |
| Fleming MS | School and students will consolidate with McReynolds MS and move to the Mickey Leland College Preparatory Academy for Young Men facility (co-location) |
| McReynolds MS | School and students will consolidate with Fleming MS and move to the Mickey Leland College Preparatory Academy for Young Men facility (co-location) |
| Hobby ES | School and Grades 1-5 students will move to the Lawson MS facility (co-location); Pre-K and Kinder students will move to MLK Early Childhood Center |
| Gulfton Middle College | Students will be absorbed into Liberty HS* |
Per district slides, Gulfton Middle College’s unique campus number will be closed, and students will now attend Liberty HS. Both campuses are currently co-located at the HCC Gulfton Campus, which is a non-HISD facility.
Two campuses, Gregg Elementary and Clemente Martinez Elementary, will instead be repurposed as “Future 2” pilot schools rather than closed.
Miles framed the decision as the culmination of years of data analysis and delay.
District slides show that nearly 23% of HISD schools are operating below 50% capacity.
At the same time, 96 school buildings have a Facility Condition Index (FCI) over 65%, indicating critical facility needs.
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.
“It’s hard to be a principal of a school with 150 kids,” said Miles, noting that such campuses still face the same staffing and compliance requirements as larger schools. “At some point, you can’t replace the plumbing… or the air conditioning unit and things like that.”
Miles acknowledged the disproportionate impact on historically underserved communities.
“What bothers me most now is that our schools that have the highest FCI, the poorest facilities, are our underserved populations,” he said. “That breaks my heart.”
Miles emphasized that closures were not proposed earlier because he believes “schools should be community schools.”
But he said enrollment declines and rising repair-to-replacement costs made further delay unsustainable.
Criticism has been swift
Christian Menefee, who represents Texas’ 18th Congressional District, said many of the affected campuses are in underserved neighborhoods.
“I think it’s a travesty that our public education system hasn’t been better invested in,” Menefee told the Defender. “Kids who live in Denver Harbor or in Fifth Ward should have buildings that look just as nice as kids who go to school in River Oaks.”
Menefee criticized what he described as a lack of transparency in the process.
“I just learned about this a couple of hours ago… you gotta have a process,” said Menefee, urging district leaders to allow meaningful community input. “Community members need to know about this. They need to have the opportunity to give their two cents about it.”
He also said the closures reflect broader concerns about state control of the district following the takeover.
“Folks across our communities need to know that our education system right now is run by Governor Abbott in the state of Texas,” Menefee said.
What’s next?
The district says it will hold family meetings at impacted campuses, assign responsive support teams, host transition events, and provide public FAQs and timelines from Feb. 17 to Feb. 25.
Final campus closures set for June 4, the last day of school.
