Bianca Seward/Houston Public Media
Houston ISD Superintendent Mike Miles speaks to the board of managers on Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026.
State-appointed Houston ISD Superintendent Mike Miles recommended the district close 12 schools, operating at 11 total facilities, for the 2026-27 school year.
“We need to take action to sustain not only the gains, but also to put our district in the best position possible going forward,” Miles said at a school board meeting Thursday night, referencing HISD’s improvements in standardized tests since he was appointed by the Texas Education Agency in 2023.
In his presentation to the board, Miles pointed to aging infrastructure and sharp declines in enrollment for the reasoning behind the planned closures.
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In a video message posted to the district’s YouTube page, Miles called the decision difficult. He added “when students are spread across underutilized buildings in need of significant repair, it limits the resources and opportunities we can provide.”
HISD’s state-appointed board of managers is scheduled to vote on the proposed closures at its next meeting Feb. 26. If approved, the schools will close on June 4, the last day of this year’s academic calendar.
Placido Gomez, an elected HISD trustee with no voting power under the ongoing state takeover, expressed frustration over what he said was a lack of community input.
“If HISD needs to consolidate schools, they should make the case to the community and ask for meaningful input before making final decisions,” Gomez said. “The appointed board’s lack of community engagement is unacceptable.”
The 12 schools recommended for closure are:
Alcott Elementary, whose students will transition to Mading Elementary
Briscoe Elementary, whose students will transition to Carrillo Elementary
Burrus Elementary, whose students will transition to Kennedy Elementary
Franklin Elementary, whose students will transition to Gallegos Elementary
Henderson NQ Elementary, whose students will transition to Bruce Elementary
Port Houston Elementary, whose students will transition to Pleasantville Elementary
Ross Elementary, whose students will transition to Roosevelt Elementary or Clemente Martinez Elementary (family’s choice)
Cage Elementary, which will be co-located with Lantrip Elementary
Fleming Middle School, which will be co-located with Mickey Leland College Preparatory Academy for Young Men
McReynolds Middle School, which will be co-located with Mickey Leland College Preparatory Academy for Young Men.
Hobby Elementary, which will be co-located with Lawson Middle School
Gulfton Middle College, which will be co-located with Liberty High School
Miles said there would be a way to honor each of the campuses that closes.
For students transitioning to a new school, Miles said their relocation would be “less than a mile away.” HISD’s school choice applications are due Feb 27 but will be extended for families affected by the closures.
“What bothers me most now is that our schools that had the highest [facility condition index], the poorest facility, are our underserved populations,” Miles said to the board. “That is fact. You’re going to see it, and where these schools are located, and that breaks my heart.”
A facility condition index, or FCI, measures a building’s overall condition and evaluates a school on its HVAC system, plumbing, structural issues and safety features. The district reports 96 HISD campuses have an FCI over 65%, which they say indicates critical issues that would require a replacement to address.
Two schools slated for closure, Clemente Martinez Elementary and Gregg Elementary, will be repurposed to Future 2 pilot schools. Future 2 Schools are kindergarten through eighth-grade programs with a focus on preparing students for a rapidly changing world and the use of artificial intelligence.
The district has suffered from steady enrollment declines over the last several years. A recent report from the University of Houston found those declines have accelerated since the state takeover, which was initiated because one high school received a string of failing academic ratings from the state. In the 2013-2014 school year, HISD had more than 214,000 students. Enrollment this year is approximately 168,000.
Data included in Miles’ presentation show 23% of HISD schools are operating below 50% of their capacity. The district also reports the cost of rebuilding a single elementary school is approximately $75 million and renovating an elementary school could cost $40 million.
The closures are part of a district plan called “Accelerate Houston,” which the HISD describes as a comprehensive initiative to expand student opportunity while strengthening the district’s fiscal sustainability.
The district proposed consolidating 15 schools into a total of seven renovated or rebuilt campuses as part of a $4.4 billion bond proposal in 2024. The measure failed in what could be considered a referendum on Miles and the state intervention.
In August of last year, Miles said he would submit a list of school closure recommendations to the board in December. But when the deadline came the district said it was pausing its move to close campuses though closures were still under consideration.
Miles, who leads the largest district in Texas, pointed to several smaller school districts in the state that have closed campuses in recent years. Among them are Austin ISD and San Antonio ISD. He also mentioned neighboring districts Aldine ISD, Fort Bend ISD and Spring ISD. He added that other urban districts across the U.S., such as those in Atlanta, Boston and Cleveland, also have closed schools in the last two years.
Miles said teachers who work at the affected schools, and are in good standing, will still have jobs in the district.