SAN ANTONIO — Juana Castañeda is grateful that her granddaughter’s elementary school, Carvajal Elementary, is across the street from her home.

“That’s what I can do, just (go) right there and do the rest,” Castañeda said, pointing to her sidewalk. 

Her mobility is limited after suffering a stroke years ago, but she walks as far as she can to make sure her granddaughter gets home safe. 

“It’s hard for me because it’s a little bit of work,” Castañeda said. 

But the convenience of having a school right across the street may soon be a thing of the past.

“I don’t know what to do,” Castañeda said. 

Last year, the San Antonio Independent School District closed 15 campuses due in part to a lack of enrollment. Now the district is considering closing one more: Carvajal — the one across the street from Castañeda.

The district said enrollment there dropped by 88 students in two years.

“There’s never a good time to close a school,” Dr. Shawn Bird, San Antonio ISD deputy superintendent, said. 

District leaders say the school’s academic performance is also a reason. 

Bird said the school’s Texas Education Agency (TEA) rating creates a weak spot that could lead to the district being taken over by the agency.

“The school has been an F-rated campus for the last three years,” Bird said. “That really is because the other two reasons: our bilingual program there is very small, and enrollment has continued to decline.” 

San Antonio ISD, like many other Texas school districts, is trying to avoid a state takeover.

In October, the Fort Worth Independent School District was taken over because one campus had received an “F” rating for five consecutive years. 

This Thursday, TEA commissioner Mike Morath announced state takeovers of the Connally, Lake Worth and Beaumont school districts. 

“An F rating is not a result of bad teaching; it’s a result of the smallness of that school and the services we can provide,” Bird said. “When you have small classes, it’s very hard to get the academic outcomes we are looking for.” 

Michael Valdez, whose cousin attends Carvajal, says closing this campus will lead to families enrolling their kids in nearby charter or private schools. 

“February is when people can start applying for school vouchers, so we also have a lot of Catholic schools in the area,” Valdez said. “What is that going to mean? It’s going to probably mean more schools being closed.”  

San Antonio ISD will discuss Carvajal’s future during a Dec. 15 school board meeting and possibly vote during the district’s Jan. 12 meeting.