Why San Antonio public schools are closing — and what comes next | EN Depth
Video Overview & Insights
In the past 10 years alone, 45 public schools closed in Bexar County. With enrollment expected to continue declining in area school systems, district leaders project more may be on the way.
Thank goodness
In San Antonio ISD, district officials have pitched a future plan for the district that would reduce the number of campuses by more than 40%. Northside ISD Superintendent John Craft said closures may be part of a district-wide "optimization plan." Judson ISD school board members voted this semester to close four campuses next academic year.
San Antonio is not alone in this pattern — districts across Texas and the rest of the country are facing the same reality.
I work at a school. These school districts view taxpayers as an ATM. My monthly property taxes cost more than the monthly payment on my loan (minus interest).
Schools have PLENTY of money. They are not good stewards of public money, and the waste is sickening.
The administration accounts for a large portion of the labor cost while they complain about paying teachers. Many administrators are more concerned more about keeping their jobs and having numbers that look good on a spreadsheet than supporting teachers and educating kids.
They should all submit to a strict audit.
The scam is finally unwinding, and now they will be forced to compete. It’s about time.
There are many reasons for the closures. Public school enrollment has declined in recent years as school systems deal with a more competitive education landscape, stricter accountability laws and a falling birth rate.
Education editor Emily Donaldson talks with reporters Scott Huddleston and Noah Alcala Bach about a series of stories produced by the Express-News delving into the enrollment crisis and how school districts are dealing with the shifting landscape.
This conversation gives good background info about the forces moving the tectonic plates that lay under San Antonio’s (and Texas’) public education system.
From an objective perspective, it’s fascinating to see how public education is evolving, but as a parent or education employee, it’s low grade, consistent stress trying to adapt to the evolution.
San Antonio Express-News, thank you for the steady, solid education reporting and for bringing months of reporting and years of understanding by the reporters together in this conversation.
If I could add one constructive comment for the Express-News, it’s that I would like to see the large charter networks covered as a consistent beat. They are becoming such important players in public education and their governance structure and public oversight is different, so I think it’s important for journalists to consistently report on them.
*Suggested reading:*
Why San Antonio public schools are closing — and it’s not just enrollment: _https://www.expressnews.com/projects/2026/public-school-closures-san-antonio/_
😶😶😶
Charter school growth reshapes San Antonio's largest districts: _https://www.expressnews.com/news/education/article/san-antonio-charter-school-growth-21273177.php_
Are birth rate declines to blame for San Antonio school closures? Not entirely.: _https://www.expressnews.com/news/education/article/san-antonio-school-closure-birth-rate-decline-21112358.php_
Here's a good place to start: San Antonio ISD ranks #1,094 out of 1,196 Texas school districts based on combined math and reading proficiency.
*Stay up to date with the latest education news:*
_https://www.expressnews.com/newsletters/education-alerts/_
There was no discussion RE: corruption of local school boards
More User Perspectives
Ok how is dummer,this guy are running, school boards and statistics, so if on baiden invasion came around 20 million, and san antonio is a sanctuary city, and the government, bomb housing ,on this families,what's the math here, cause,oh yes democrat paractices,I know ,people from districts isd,that sold belongings from those isd,but everything is whit the supervision of big fishes, so how fault, the democta government and all stars when biden,I remember people in the news complain, that districts forced them to relocate children on diferentes schools for closing, and you guys news media post it
@JorgeRamirez.AtascosaLess schools with better academic education/sports so that we can pay teachers a better wage along with making it competitive to attract the best teachers in the area
@Dillezt25If families would have kids do a technology detox then kids would sto being violent to school staff
@mattiadizard7431Thank you SAEN education team (plus data reporting) for this in-depth series.
@IngaCotton