The Judson ISD board of trustees unanimously approved closing Judson Middle School during a special meeting on Feb. 16, with hopes of chipping away at a $37 million budget shortfall.

The school closure, which will take effect in the 2026-27 school year, will yield the district an estimated average of $2.5 million annually, said Cecilia Davis, deputy superintendent of innovation, business and operations.

The impact

Closing Judson Middle will impact about 480 students who are considered “walkers,” which are students who live within a 2-mile radius and do not ride the school bus, so they could walk, bike, skateboard or carpool.

Daniel Brooks, assistant superintendent of operations, said the district currently has a shortage of buses, and the district does not know how many, if any, additional buses may be needed.

“Once a decision is made, the demographer would have to go back and refine the boundaries so that we can know exactly what streets we’re talking about so we can then look at actual number of students per street as to where they’re going, then we’ll know how many buses are needed based on where they’re needing to be transported,” Brooks said.

The closure will also impact 44 students in Judson Middle’s agricultural program. The program will move to Kitty Hawk so those students can continue with that pathway, Interim Superintendent Mary Duhart-Toppen said.

Students in the JSTEM Academy will also move from Judson Middle to Kitty Hawk, which will cost the district about $45,000, Duhart-Toppen said.

What the board president is saying

School Board President Monica Ryan said closing a middle school can feel like closing a door—but they must not lose sight of the doors they are opening.

“Consolidation brings expanded resources, broader programming and increased opportunities for our students,” Ryan said. “Our districts across Texas have gone through similar processes, but they’ve seen benefits, expanded course offerings for our kids, greater access to specialized instructional programs, stronger support services and more extracurricular opportunities.”

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