San Antonio ISD trustees to decide on another school closure as district continues consolidation plans
Board action follows months of debate over enrollment, performance and campus investment on the West Side
San Antonio Independent School District trustees are moving toward another campus-closure decision as the district continues a multi-year effort to reduce the number of underused facilities and redirect resources into fewer schools.
The most recent case centered on Esther Perez Carvajal Elementary School, a West Side campus at 225 Arizona Ave. District leadership recommended closing the school at the end of the 2025-26 school year, with students reassigned beginning in the 2026-27 year. Trustees first discussed the proposal in mid-January without taking action, then scheduled a final vote for Jan. 20, 2026.
On Jan. 20, trustees voted unanimously to close Carvajal at the end of the current school year. The vote added another closure to a broader “rightsizing” strategy that accelerated in 2023-24, when the district shut down multiple campuses amid declining enrollment and financial pressures.
What officials cited as the basis for the Carvajal recommendation
District officials tied the closure recommendation to three interconnected issues: a shrinking student population, academic performance concerns, and operational efficiency.
Enrollment: District leaders said Carvajal’s enrollment trends mirrored a broader SAISD decline and argued that maintaining small campuses strains budgets and programming.
Accountability ratings: District officials said Carvajal had received three consecutive failing state ratings and warned that continued low ratings could trigger state intervention under Texas accountability rules.
Program alignment: Administrators also pointed to planned changes in bilingual and early-childhood programming as part of how students could be served at other campuses.
Community concerns raised during public comment
Parents and neighborhood advocates urged trustees to keep a school presence in the immediate area, describing Carvajal as a neighborhood anchor and raising practical concerns about the transition.
Transportation and daily schedules for families reassigned to other campuses.
Capacity and facility conditions at receiving schools.
How campus bond investments would be handled if students were moved elsewhere.
Trustees faced competing demands: maintaining a neighborhood school footprint while addressing repeated low enrollment and accountability risks.
What happens next for students and the campus site
Under the transition plan discussed during board deliberations, many students were expected to move to Barkley-Ruiz Elementary, with others reassigned to De Zavala Elementary for the 2026-27 school year.
Trustees also paired the closure decision with a commitment to keep voter-approved bond investment in the West Side community. The board’s action included directing 2020 bond funds previously associated with Carvajal toward reinvestment at the site, with district leaders discussing the possibility of a future new campus or reconfigured grade model.
Even as Carvajal’s closure is now decided, the district’s longer-term consolidation effort remains active. Trustees and administrators have acknowledged that additional closure and consolidation proposals may return as SAISD evaluates enrollment patterns, facility utilization, and capital needs across the district.