SAN ANTONIO — Crystal Mata says San Antonio Independent School District closing Rhodes Middle School and the neighboring campus, Carvajal Elementary School, will hurt her community.
“With it gone, it takes away that security from the neighborhood. It takes away security from the people. From us working parents who can’t just drop off and pick up,” Mata said.
They’re not the only parents facing change this summer. Many families across Texas are seeing their local schools close.
Austin ISD is closing 10 schools, Harlingen Consolidated Independent School District is closing two schools and Judson ISD is closing four campuses, all before the fall semester.
Several other school districts, like Pflugerville ISD, are planning to merge campuses in the 2027-28 school year.
“We also know that these schools have been struggling for a variety of reasons,” said Shawn Bird, San Antonio ISD (SAISD) deputy superintendent.
Bird cited low enrollment, declining birthrates, budget deficits and poor Texas Education Agency (TEA) ratings.
SAISD was ahead of the trend when the board members voted to close 15 schools in 2023. Like many districts across the Lone Star State, SAISD is trying to avoid a TEA takeover.
“It’s important to note that these schools have made improvements,” Bird said. “They just not have made improvements fast enough to get out of the accountability trouble that they’ve been in.”
The speed of the improvements was a driving factor for a second round of closures.
Carvajal families got one last tour of the campus, viewing yearbooks and old memorabilia the same way families at 15 closing schools did in 2024.
Rhodes’ parents, like Mata, will get their farewell, too.
“This is the last time we get to be in the hallways and sit in the auditorium and watch these kids and be a part of something we’ve been a part of for so long,” Mata said.
Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to correct the spelling of the name Shawn Bird. (June 16, 2026)