Houston ISD no longer plans to close schools in 2026-27 school year

Houston ISD announced Wednesday that it is no longer planning to proceed with closing schools in the 2026-27 academic year, although some "consolidations" may be considered in the future. 

State-appointed Superintendent Mike Miles told principals in a meeting Wednesday that the district would not be bringing a list of recommended school closures to the HISD Board of Managers for the upcoming year as planned, according to an announcement on the district’s YouTube show.

Miles told principals that taking extra time now will help the district explore solutions that ensure future students end up in even better learning environments, district spokesperson Trey Serna said. 

Miles "emphasized that while a small number of consolidations may still be needed in the future years, the district's priority remains the same, providing every student with an excellent education and safe, well-equipped facilities,” Serna said. 

HISD CONVOCATION: District is aiming for up to 10 school closures, plans to build $180M career center, Miles says

HISD leaders previously said in February that they were planning to propose a list of recommended school closures to the board this fall. The district wrote that school closures “must be considered” because enrollment had declined by 30,000 students in the past decade.

“We have not closed schools in quite a while in the district,” Miles said in February. “We've lost 30,000 kids in six or seven years, and that's an untenable financial situation. Any school that has fewer than 300 students, we are subsidizing. ... We're losing money, and it's not a financial equation altogether, but at some point, it is a financial equation when we have a lot of small schools.”

A few months later, Miles said that the administration was aiming to provide the school board with a list of no more than 10 "small" schools proposed for closure due to failing facilities.

HISD's decision not to close schools next year comes as other school districts in the state, such as Austin and Fort Worth ISD, have announced plans to close several of their campuses in the future, citing budget deficits and declining enrollment.

The state's largest school district expects to lose about 6,700 students this year, continuing a decade-long decline that has accelerated under the takeover. Records show that the district appears on track to enroll about 170,000 students for the 2025-26 school year, down from more than 176,700 last year.