SAISD Rightsizing: A Parents’ Guide to School Closures in San Antonio ISD

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On November 13, 2023, San Antonio ISD approved a rightsizing plan to address the declining population of students living in the district. The SAISD rightsizing proposal involves closing or merging some schools and reassigning those students to other schools. Building on our existing enrollment guide to SAISD Choice Schools, we have created a guide to the SAISD rightsizing plan to help families navigate this change and find new schools that are the right fit for their children. In addition, we have created a guide to options for families impacted by rightsizing.

SAISD Rightsizing Resources

The SAISD website offers resources to learn about the rightsizing proposal.

Understanding Rightsizing by Neighborhood

SAISD organizes its schools by neighborhood feeder pattern—in other words, which comprehensive high school is nearby. All seven of SAISD’s comprehensive high schools will remain open under the rightsizing plan. Each feeder pattern is represented by a member on the SAISD Board of Trustees. Campus names in bold are SAISD Choice Schools.

District 1 — Brackenridge High School Area

School closure in District 1: Lamar Elementary School (school report card). At Lamar Elementary, SAISD recently ended an SB 1882 partnership with School Innovation Collaborative (SIC). Other SIC partnership schools included Bowden (District 1, no change), Cameron (District 2, receiving students), and Gates (District 2, closing). Hawthorne Academy (school report card) will receive students from Lamar.

School mergers in District 1:

With the closing of Gonzales Early Childhood Center, along with District 2’s Carroll ECC and Tynan ECC, District 4’s Knox ECC, and District 7’s Knox ECC, those younger students will go to school on elementary campuses that may be closer to home and can serve them for more years. Carroll and Tynan were SB 1882 partnership schools with Highscope, but SAISD ended that contract last year.

Students from Gonzales ECC will receive priority enrollment at Twain.

Schools in District 1 that are unaffected by rightsizing: Advanced Learning Academy (ALA), Bowden Academy, CAST Tech High School, Fox Tech High School, and Travis Early College High School.

The initial rightsizing recommendation included closing Pershing Elementary School (school report card), but that proposal was withdrawn.

Sarah Sorensen is the District 1 Trustee, and she voted against rightsizing.

District 2 — Sam Houston High School Area

School closures in District 2:

Receiving schools in District 2:

Washington Elementary School (school report card) will also receive students from closing schools, and will shift from K–6 to a K–5 elementary school. Students who would have attended Washington Elementary for 6th grade will go to Davis College Prep Middle School instead.

For a couple of years while Martin Luther King Academy is being renovated, students in grades K–2 will attend classes at Carroll, and then that campus will be closed. M.L. King Academy will be temporarily located at Gates Elementary while the MLK campus is renovated. MLK Academy will serve dual language students from the Gates and Hirsch areas. Students from Miller Elementary will attend Smith Elementary (school report card) in District 4.

Schools in District 2 that are unaffected by rightsizing: St. Philip’s Early College High School and Young Men’s Leadership Academy at Wheatley (YMLA).

Alicia Sebastian represents District 2 on the Board of Trustees and serves as Vice President. She voted in favor of rightsizing.

District 3 — Highlands High School Area

School closures in District 3:

Receiving schools in District 3:

Schenck Elementary will be temporarily located at Foster Elementary while the Schenck campus is renovated. Japhet Academy (school report card) in District 4 will become a PK–5 elementary and will receive students from Highland Park Elementary.

Steele Montessori Academy (school report card) will relocate to the former campus of Forbes Elementary.

CAST Med High School will add grades 6 and 8 in 2024–25, later expanding to serve grades 6–12.

Schools in District 3 that are unaffected by rightsizing: Democracy Prep at the Stewart Campus, Mission Academy, and Rogers Middle School.

Leticia Ozuna is the District 3 Trustee, and she voted in favor of rightsizing.

District 4 — Burbank High School Area

School closures in District 4:

Receiving schools in District 4:

As mentioned earlier, Green Elementary will close, and its campus will become an expansion site for Bonham Dual Language Academy in District 1. Students from Green Elementary will have the option to choose priority enrollment at Bonham at Green (PK–2) or Bonham (3–8), or they can attend Riverside Park Elementary.

Japhet Academy (school report card) will be redesigned as a PK–5 elementary and will receive students from Highland Park Elementary in District 3. Japhet students in grades 6–8 will attend Hot Wells Middle School in District 3.

Kelly Elementary and Lowell Middle School will merge to become Kelly Academy and Kelly Academy at Lowell. Initially, Kelly will hold grades PK–2 and Lowell will hold grades 3–8. After renovation, grades PK–8 will be at Kelly Academy at Lowell.

Schools in District 4 that are unaffected by rightsizing: Graebner Elementary School, Harris Middle School, Poe STEM Dual Language Middle School, and Young Women’s Leadership Academy (YWLA) at Page Primary.

The initial rightsizing recommendation included closing Collins Garden Elementary School (school report card) and Riverside Park Elementary School (school report card), but those proposals were withdrawn.

Arthur V. Valdez represents District 4 on the Board of Trustees and serves as Secretary. He voted in favor of rightsizing.

District 5 — Lanier High School Area

School closure in District 5: Storm Elementary School (school report card). Storm was an SB 1882 partnership school with Relay Graduate School of Education.

Receiving schools in District 5:

There was discussion of Rodriguez Montessori Elementary School (school report card) being co-located at Ogden Elementary School (school report card), but the district decided to keep Rodriguez in its present location. The initial rightsizing recommendation included closing Ogden Elementary School, but that proposal was withdrawn.

Schools in District 5 that are unaffected by rightsizing: J.T. Brackenridge Elementary School, Carvajal Elementary School, Crockett Academy, De Zavala Elementary School, Irving Dual Language Academy, Margil Elementary School, Rhodes Middle School, and Tafolla Middle School.

Stephanie Torres is the District 5 Trustee, and she voted against rightsizing.

District 6 — Edison High School Area

There will be no school closures in District 6.

Whittier Middle School (school report card) will receive students from other schools.

Cotton Academy (school report card) will merge with Beacon Hill Academy (school report card). Grades PK–2 will be at Beacon Hill and grades 3–8 will be at Cotton Academy.

Gonzales Early Childhood Center from District 1 will merge with Twain Dual Language Academy. Students from Gonzales ECC will receive priority enrollment at Twain.

Schools in District 6 that are unaffected by rightsizing: Franklin Elementary School, Neal Elementary School, Will Rogers Academy, and Wilson Elementary School.

Christina Martinez represents District 6 on the Board of Trustees and serves as President. She voted in favor of rightsizing.

District 7 — Jefferson High School Area

School closures in District 7:

Receiving schools in District 7:

Students will remain at Baskin Elementary until renovations are complete at Maverick Elementary.

Huppertz is an International Baccalaureate (IB) school. When Huppertz closes, the students will have the opportunity to move to Fenwick or Woodlawn Hills, which are also IB schools.

Schools in District 7 that are unaffected by rightsizing: Arnold Elementary, Longfellow Middle School, Madison Elementary School, Woodlawn Academy, and Young Women’s Leadership Academy (YWLA) Secondary.

Ed Garza is the District 7 Trustee, and he voted in favor of rightsizing.

Next Steps

SAISD’s Office of Access and Enrollment Services is contacting families who are affected by school closures to offer assistance with moving to their new campuses. SAISD Choice Schools are holding their open enrollment period from December 1, 2023 to February 15, 2024 for students applying for the 2024–25 school year.

Constituents can contact their board members to express concern or gratitude about the rightsizing plan.

We have updated our SAISD enrollment guide to reflect the final Rightsizing recommendations. In addition, we have created a guide to options for families impacted by rightsizing, including helpful maps and infographics showing nearby SAISD Choice Schools and open enrollment public charter schools. As always, families can also join the San Antonio Charter Moms discussion group on Facebook to share opinions and gather information about the SAISD Rightsizing plan.

Read More About SAISD Rightsizing

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