Dawson Elementary School, Feb. 8. 2026. Dawson is one of ten schools that closed at the end of the 2025-26 school year.
Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman
Austin Independent School District officials will sell Dawson and Sunset Valley elementary schools, two of the 10 campuses that closed this summer.
The proposed sales are the district’s latest bid to infuse new cash into its depleted savings after painful budget cuts that required Austin ISD to slash a $181 million deficit.
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The district is already counting on the sale of the old Rosedale School to inject new revenue into next school year’s budget — although that sale hasn’t closed yet. Austin ISD expects to collect $60 million by selling off multiple properties, a necessary move to avoid a ballooning budget deficit. The successful sale of the closed schools would represent a one-time infusion of cash.
Since the district decided in November to close the 10 schools, Austin ISD leaders have assessed potential uses for the now-shuttered campuses. District officials have said closing the schools will save about $21 million, although much of that funding will go back into improving student learning at other campuses.
The Austin ISD school board approved the plan to sell Dawson and Sunset Valley elementaries during a meeting in June. The district plans to begin searching for a buyer within the next three months, spokeswoman Dacia Garcia said.
Sunset Valley Elementary School, Feb. 8, 2026. Sunset Valley is one of 10 schools that closed at the end of the 2025-26 school year.
Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman
The district also plans to lease a 14-acre portion of land on the Bedichek Middle School property and will put out a call for proposals in two to three months. The school board must vote on final sales, Garcia said.
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Campuses staying under Austin ISD ownership
Officials are also trying to find a nonprofit or community partner to develop a new use for Becker, Ridgetop and Widén elementary schools, but the district plans to keep ownership of the properties.
The district will accept bids after talking with community members about how they’d like to see those properties used or what kind of organizations they’d like to lease the former schools, Garcia said. For now, district officials plan to keep the other five closed campuses for educational uses.
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Barrington Elementary and Winn Montessori School will serve students during the renovations of Wooldridge and Andrews elementaries. The renovations are funded through the $2.4 billion 2022 voter-approved bond. The district is also constructing a new Oak Springs Elementary through the 2022 bond. Until the new Oak Springs opens and Blackshear closes in 2028, students from both elementary schools will attend school at the Blackshear campus.
Plans for how the district will reuse Bedichek and Martin middle schools remain unclear, although officials said they will collect community feedback.
A financial need
As the district faced fiscal struggles this year, officials turned to property sales to bridge the gap between growing expenses and shrinking revenue.
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Austin ISD aims to sell properties for $60 million this year. Last year, the district sold Brooke Elementary School on East 4th Street to multifamily residential developer High Street Residential, a subsidary of Trammell Crow Corporation, for $17 million. The extra money went to the 2025-26 school year budget.
The district also attempted last year to sell the old Rosedale School — which hasn’t been used as a traditional school in years — but a legal snag has delayed the sale. The district has had a pending sales contract in place with multifamily residential builder OHT Partners since August. It’s not clear when the sale could close.
Officials estimate not selling the property last year set the district back by $26 million. Funds from the potential sale would go toward the 2026-27 school year budget.
Families can provide feedback on the properties’ future use at a series of public meetings that begin July 15 or through an online survey until Aug. 3.
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Austin ISD has lost 17,000 students since 2011, representing a 20% drop in enrollment, as families sought cheaper housing in the suburbs, left because of immigration concerns or enrolled in other schooling options, like charters.
The loss in enrollment means less revenue for Austin ISD since Texas funds schools based on the number of children who show up for class each day. The plunging numbers prompted leaders to close campuses in hopes of saving money on staff and building costs.