The Aldine (Texas) school board is expected to vote next month on whether to close seven schools, as the district continues to face budget difficulties brought on by declining enrollment and insufficient increases in state funding.
Houston Landing reports that district administrators have recommended closing two early education campuses, four elementary schools and a middle school ahead of the 2025-26 school year.
Administrators said the campuses were chosen after considering numerous factors, including enrollment size, student demographics, building conditions and academic ratings.
The seven schools:
- Stovall EC/PK/K School
- De Santiago EC/PK/K School
- Eckert Elementary School
- Oleson Elementary School
- Raymond Elementary School
- Smith Elementary School
- Hoffman Middle School
The vote will mark the second year in a row that leaders in Aldine, the Houston region’s sixth-largest district, will decide whether to shutter some of its roughly 75 campuses. The school board voted in February 2024 to close three elementary schools.
The latest proposal is part of the district’s plan to “optimize” its facilities by closing lower-enrollment schools. Most of the campuses recommended for closure rank among the smallest schools in Aldine.
District leaders said the seven school closures would potentially save the district $32.5 million annually.
Aldine’s enrollment has fallen over the past decade from about 70,000 students to roughly 58,000 in 2023-24. The change is largely because of declining birth rates, and the growth of charter schools in northern Harris County. About 6,500 students living in Aldine’s boundaries attended charter schools in 2023-24, up from about 2,400 a decade ago.
At the same time, Aldine has not seen a significant boost in state funding over the past several years.
The vote on whether to close schools is scheduled for Feb. 25.
