Fort Bend ISD closed 7 elementary schools, but what happens to the buildings now?

SUGAR LAND, Texas - When Fort Bend ISD students return to class Aug. 11, seven elementary schools will not reopen, leaving families with a new question: What will happen to the former campuses?

The backstory:

The Fort Bend ISD Board of Trustees voted 4-3 in March to close the schools as the district confronts declining enrollment, underused campuses and a projected $56.4 million budget deficit for the 2026-27 school year.

The schools closing are:

• Austin Parkway Elementary
• Dulles Elementary
• Arizona Fleming Elementary
• Edgar Glover Jr. Elementary
• Mission West Elementary
• Ridgegate Elementary
• Sugar Mill Elementary

The closures and related attendance boundary changes are expected to save the district approximately $5 million to $7 million annually. However, Fort Bend ISD has not publicly provided campus-by-campus plans for the properties or disclosed what it will cost to maintain and secure buildings that are no longer operating as elementary schools.

Parent Question What's Next:

Caroline Faw’s children attended Sugar Mill Elementary. She expected her three younger children would eventually attend the neighborhood school as well.

Following the closure decision, her family used Fort Bend ISD’s open-enrollment process to select Walker Station Elementary, about 15 minutes from their home.

"I’ve lost a lot of trust in the district and in the state itself," Faw said. "And we did the open enrollment, which I’m grateful that they gave us the opportunity to do that. We are going to Walker Station, which is about 15 minutes from our house. So I’m glad that we have that, but it feels like it’s just a temporary measure."

Faw said she chose Walker Station because it is another neighborhood school, she knows people in the area, and she believes it will be a good fit for her children. Still, the change has made her family reconsider its long-term future in the Houston area.

She also wants the district to explain what will happen to the Sugar Mill property.

"I just hope that it gets torn down to be houses, honestly," Faw said. "I don’t want a giant building sitting in our neighborhood. I don’t really want it to be a charter school. I’d rather it became a park or just houses to blend in. It’s sad seeing it there every day, though."

District Lists Possibilities:

On its frequently asked questions page, Fort Bend ISD says it will begin a "comprehensive evaluation process" after the board approves a campus closure.

According to the district, that process could include repurposing a site for district programs, leasing or selling the property if trustees declare it surplus, demolishing the building or exploring other uses that serve the community.

The FAQ does not provide a timeline for that evaluation or identify a proposed use for any of the seven campuses.

FOX 26 sent Fort Bend ISD additional questions. 

Faw said families have received general district emails, but no information specific to Sugar Mill’s future.

"We get the occasional email sent out to everyone, but nothing specific," she said.

FOX 26 will update this story when Fort Bend ISD responds to the additional questions.