School Consolidations/Boundary Changes
Executive Summary
Every family should have access to an excellent neighborhood school — one that is vibrant, well-resourced, and able to meet the unique needs of every child. Austin Ƶ is making these difficult decisions now to protect our values and ensure the long-term health of our school district.
In developing this preliminary plan, we considered its impact on students, teachers, staff, and our community. As we refine and finalize this plan for board approval, we do so with care, transparency, and consideration for our community.
This is about more than budgets or buildings. It’s about our students and our future. Inaction is not an option, but together, we know a stronger Austin Ƶ lies ahead of us.
Here’s what’s proposed to change:
This plan would close 13 school buildings across the district: Barrington ES, Becker ES, Bedichek MS, Bryker Woods ES, Dawson ES, Maplewood ES, Martin MS, Oak Springs ES, Palm ES, Ridgetop ES, Sunset Valley ES, Widén ES, Winn Montessori.
Doing so would bring 99% of our local schools within a healthier capacity. More importantly, it means that your local schools would be able to offer resources, staffing and programs more effectively and consistently to all students. Athletics programs would grow stronger. Fine arts can flourish on every campus. Enhanced student support would improve outcomes and promote the well-being of the whole child.
International High School would transition from a school co-located at Northeast ECHS to a program located at Navarro ECHS, allowing the majority of students to be served in their neighborhood school.
Four schools would become campus-wide, non-zoned Spanish dual language programs. These programs would serve a balanced ratio of 50% emergent bilingual students and 50% non-emergent bilingual students, and would ensure that emergent bilingual students learn from certified bilingual teachers. This change would also create a stronger, more supportive learning environment and add 590 new seats in dual language programs. In addition, Joslin Elementary School would open a campus-wide, non-zoned immersion program. Together, these changes expand Spanish and Mandarin programs across Austin, giving more students across the district access to high-quality language learning.
One campus would be repurposed as the new location to serve districtwide, non-zoned Montessori students, allowing us to support a greater number of students from diverse backgrounds.
Boundary changes and balanced enrollment mean almost all of our district would be touched in some way. Ninety-eight percent of our schools would be affected by a boundary change, ensuring we achieve a more effective district-wide utilization of our facilities, increasing from 76% to 82%.
Feeder patterns that would ensure stronger local school communities for all of our students. This allows students to matriculate with their peers across their PK-12 experience, creating greater collaboration, stability and sense of belonging.
Transfer policy changes that would best support our current and future families. By expanding our “grandfathering” policy, we would allow students to remain at their current school whenever possible.
Reinvesting in our students
Again, this is about more than buildings. It’s about our students and their success. And it’s about creating a vibrant and sustainable Austin Ƶ for generations to come.
- We are making strategic reinvestments in our TAP (state accountability) campuses by budgeting an average of $800,000 for new staff positions, including assistant principals, instructional coaches, content interventionists, and lower student-to-teacher ratios. An additional $200,000 per campus would be set aside in certain situations for teacher coaching and leadership support through our early literacy initiative.
- We will work to retain and support our teachers and staff while ensuring more effective staffing across our district. Our proposal ensures stronger staffing across Austin Ƶ while realizing over $20 million in immediate gross savings.
- By retiring some older facilities and consolidating others, we provide students with an improved learning environment while addressing critical budget constraints associated with maintaining aging facilities. The proposal provides $300,000 in immediate savings and $3 million in annual savings over time.
- As schools consolidate and transportation routes are combined, we anticipate longer-term savings in fuel, bus maintenance, and driver costs.
- We will continue to invest in our students while addressing our budget deficit and creating a pathway toward a sustainable school district. This would allow us to maintain our distinguished status for fiscal stewardship among multiple ratings agencies.
What doesn’t change
Austin Ƶ remains committed to ensuring every child is college, career, and life ready. Every day and in every classroom, from Pre-K to 12th grade, we offer a safe and healthy school environment that is academically rigorous and supported by a nationally recognized focus on social-emotional learning. From Fine Arts, Dual Language, and STEM, to Athletics, Magnet Programs, International Baccalaureate, Early College High Schools, and more, Austin Ƶ offers opportunities to fit the needs of every student. Find your seat.
Take a moment to learn more about the proposed plan for transforming Austin Ƶ. After reviewing the plan, drop us a with your ideas and concerns, or join us at one of our upcoming community conversations. To direct questions to our Consolidation and Boundary Planning team, submit a ticket via our .
Select a School to See Proposed Changes
Special Campuses
Elementary Schools
Middle Schools
High Schools
Seleccione una escuela para ver los cambios propuestos
Escuelas Especiales
Primarias
Secundarias
Preparatorias
Cada familia debe tener acceso a una escuela excelente en su vecindario que sea dinámica, tenga suficientes recursos y pueda satisfacer las necesidades particulares de cada niño. El Austin Ƶ está tomando estas decisiones difíciles ahora para proteger nuestros valores y garantizar la salud de nuestro distrito escolar a largo plazo.
Al crear este plan preliminar, consideramos su impacto en los estudiantes, los maestros, el personal y nuestra comunidad. Mientras refinamos y finalizamos este plan para que lo apruebe la mesa directiva, lo hacemos con atención, transparencia y considerando a nuestra comunidad.
Esto se trata de mucho más que de presupuestos o edificios. Se trata de nuestros estudiantes y nuestro futuro. La falta de acción no es una opción, pero sabemos que juntos tendremos a un Austin Ƶ más fuerte en el futuro.
Esto es lo que se propone cambiar:
Este plan cerraría 13 edificios escolares en todo el distrito. Hacer esto lograría que el 99% de nuestras escuelas locales tengan una capacidad más saludable. Más importante aún, significa que sus escuelas locales podrían ofrecer recursos, una dotación de personal y programas de forma más eficiente y constante a todos los estudiantes. Los programas deportivos se fortalecerían. Las bellas artes podrían florecer en cada escuela. Un mayor apoyo al estudiante mejoraría los resultados y fomentaría el bienestar integral del niño.
La Escuela Preparatoria International pasaría de ser una escuela que comparte su ubicación con la Preparatoria Northeast a ser un programa ubicado en la Preparatoria Navarro, lo cual permitiría que la mayoría de estudiantes tengan sus servicios en la escuela de su vecindario.
Cuatro escuelas pasarían a ser programas de Lenguaje Dual con español en toda la escuela y sin una zona escolar. Estos programas servirían a una proporción equilibrada de 50% de estudiantes bilingües emergentes y 50% de estudiantes que no sean bilingües emergentes, y garantizarían que los estudiantes bilingües emergentes aprendan de maestros bilingües certificados. Este cambio también crearía un ambiente de aprendizaje más sólido y comprensivo y agregaría 590 nuevos lugares en los programas de Lenguaje Dual. Además, la Escuela Primaria Joslin abriría un programa de inmersión en toda la escuela sin una zona escolar. Juntos, estos cambios ampliarían los programas de español y mandarín en toda Austin, dándoles acceso a más estudiantes del distrito a un aprendizaje de idiomas de alta calidad.
Un plantel escolar se readaptaría como la nueva ubicación para servir a los estudiantes de Montessori de todo el distrito sin una zona escolar, lo cual nos permitiría apoyar a un mayor número de estudiantes de diversos orígenes.
Los cambios en los límites de las zonas de asistencia y una matrícula equilibrada significan que casi todo nuestro distrito se vería afectado de alguna manera. El noventa y ocho por ciento de nuestras escuelas se vería afectado por un cambio en los límites de las zonas de asistencia, garantizando que tengamos un uso más eficiente de nuestras instalaciones en todo el distrito, que aumentaría de 76% a 82%.
Los patrones de remisión garantizarían comunidades escolares locales más fuertes para todos nuestros estudiantes. Esto permite que los estudiantes se matriculen junto a sus compañeros durante toda su experiencia de PK-12.°, creando mayor colaboración, estabilidad y sentido de pertenencia.
Los cambios en las normas de traslado apoyarían mejor a nuestras familias actuales y futuras. Al ampliar nuestras normas de "exención por antigüedad", les permitiríamos a los estudiantes permanecer en su escuela actual siempre que fuera posible.
Reinversión en nuestros estudiantes
Una vez más, esto se trata de mucho más que de edificios. Se trata de nuestros estudiantes y su éxito. Y se trata de crear un Austin Ƶ dinámico y sostenible para las próximas generaciones.
- Estamos haciendo reinversiones estratégicas en nuestras escuelas con TAP (responsabilidad estatal) al presupuestar un promedio de $800,000 para nuevos puestos de personal, incluyendo subdirectores, especialistas en instrucción, especialistas en intervención de contenido y proporciones más bajas de estudiantes por maestro. Otros $200,000 por escuela se reservarían en ciertas situaciones para la instrucción de maestros y apoyo al liderazgo a través de nuestra iniciativa de literacidad temprana.
- Trabajaremos para retener y apoyar a nuestros maestros y personal y al mismo tiempo procurar una dotación de personal más eficiente en todo nuestro distrito. Nuestra propuesta garantiza una dotación de personal más sólida en todo el Austin Ƶ y al mismo tiempo que obtengamos más de $20 millones en ahorros brutos inmediatos.
- Al retirar ciertas instalaciones antiguas y consolidar otras, les damos a los estudiantes un ambiente de aprendizaje mejorado y al mismo tiempo abordamos limitaciones críticas de presupuesto asociadas con el mantenimiento de instalaciones envejecidas. La propuesta provee $300,000 en ahorros inmediatos y $3 millones en ahorros anuales con el paso del tiempo.
- A medida que se consoliden las escuelas y se combinen las rutas de transporte, anticipamos ahorros a más largo plazo en costos de combustible, mantenimiento de autobuses y conductores.
- Seguiremos invirtiendo en nuestros estudiantes y al mismo tiempo abordando nuestro déficit presupuestario y creando una trayectoria hacia un distrito escolar sostenible. Esto nos permitiría mantener nuestro estado distinguido de administración fiscal en varias agencias de clasificación.
Lo que no cambiará
El Austin Ƶ sigue comprometido a garantizar que cada niño esté preparado para la universidad, la carrera profesional y la vida. Todos los días en todos los salones de clases desde prekínder hasta 12.° grado, ofrecemos un ambiente escolar seguro y saludable, académicamente exigente y con el apoyo de un enfoque reconocido a nivel nacional en el aprendizaje socioemocional. Desde las bellas artes, el Lenguaje Dual y las STEM, hasta los deportes, los programas especializados, el Bachillerato Internacional, las escuelas preparatorias de universidad temprana y más, el Austin Ƶ ofrece oportunidades apropiadas para las necesidades de cada estudiante. Encuentra tu lugar
Tómese un momento para informarse más sobre el plan propuesto para transformar al Austin Ƶ. Después de revisar el plan, déjenos una tarjeta de comentarios con sus preguntas e inquietudes o acompáñenos a una de nuestras próximas conversaciones comunitarias.
Process Overview
Austin Ƶ is in the process of school consolidation — combining some campuses to ensure every student learns in a well-resourced, fully staffed school with strong programs and support.
For the past six years, school funding from the state has remained flat while costs have continued to rise. At the same time, enrollment has steadily declined — a trend seen across Texas and the nation. Today, we have about 25,000 empty seats across our schools. This puts a strain on resources, leading to under-resourced campuses and fewer opportunities for our students. The consolidation process will allow us to preserve the educational experience and avoid making deeper budget cuts that would impact our students and schools.
While planning begins now, no changes will be made until the 2026–27 school year. The process is divided into three phases:
Phase I: Data Collection and Creation (April - June 2025)
We began by gathering and reviewing our own data to better understand how our schools are running based on size, condition, number of students and how much it costs. This phase was complemented by the launch of a to ensure the public's perspectives and priorities were included from the very beginning of our work.
We also established values, priorities, and hopes with our board.
Top Values & Priorities (in order of importance by trustee rank and overall frequency):
- Acknowledge history and ensure burden of consolidations spread as equitably as possible
- Ensure decisions support long-term efficiency and realistic cost savings
- Consider programming — how can we maintain and even improve what is offered?
- Be empathetic and thorough in our transition planning, for staff and families
- Avoid TEA takeover
- Align feeder patterns & Vertical Teams
Hopes:
- This should be a comprehensive, transparent, systems approach that does not “bow to privilege”.
- This will be disruptive. “We can do hard things” if we provide the proper support.
- Be future-focused. Acknowledge the past and work together for a better, stronger Austin Ƶ.
Phase II: Analysis and Refinement (June - October 2025)
With the data collected, we moved into Phase II: Analysis and Refinement. This phase was guided by the board's principles and the community values identified in the survey. To deepen our understanding, we hosted town halls and deep-dive workshops focused on critical areas such as academic programming, boundaries and student transfers. This work also included a refinement of our .
A significant part of this phase was a . As we conducted our , we continued to consider the findings from the rubric but we went beyond the initial data. We explored specialized programming, historical context, student campus experience, feeder patterns, population shifts and transportation. To support this, we conducted a second survey and distributed a Principal Feedback Form for further insights.
As we conducted our contextual analysis, we continued to weigh the findings from the rubric, but in some cases, it was necessary to step beyond it and look at the system as a whole and apply Austin Ƶ’s for boundary changes. This work was highly collaborative, involving regular sessions with a demographer and a diverse team of district specialists representing special education, school leadership, student support, academics and transportation.
Phase III: Finalization and Approval (October - November 2025)
We are now entering Phase III: Finalization and Approval. The process will move from creation to public review with the release of a draft plan. We’ll dedicate this period to socializing the plan and actively seeking feedback from the community to identify any potential gaps, blind spots or necessary transition considerations. This crucial feedback loop is essential for refining the plan to ensure it is comprehensive and ready for implementation and final approval.