HISD Superintendent suggests possible school closures amid enrollment decline

Houston ISD school closures possible

Houston ISD Superintendent Mike Miles recently sat down with FOX 26. He mentioned the possibility of some schools closing. This comes as the district continues to go through drastic changes.

HOUSTON - Houston Independent School District Superintendent Mike Miles says school closures are being considered as the district continues to face declining enrollment and financial pressure.

Houston ISD: School closures possible amid declining enrollment

In a recent interview with FOX 26's Greg Groogan, Miles said the number of students in HISD has dropped by approximately 30,000 over the past six years, while the number of campuses has remained the same. According to the district's website, it currently operates 274 schools, making it one of the largest in the country and Texas.

"I’ve delayed in not wanting to do that for three years," Miles said. "And now, for two years, we haven’t closed schools. But you’re right. At some point, we have lost 30,000 kids in six years. We have the same number of schools. That’s not financially viable."

Miles said a list of potential school closures would likely be presented to the HISD board in late fall or early winter, though no formal proposal has been introduced yet.

The comments came during an appearance on "What’s Your Point," where Miles was questioned about district-wide changes and their impact on enrollment. Despite recent gains in STAAR scores following the state takeover of HISD, Miles acknowledged that downsizing may be necessary.

Community advocates respond

The possibility of closures has drawn criticism from community members and education advocates. Ruth Kravetz, a retired teacher and co-founder of Community Voices for Public Education, issued a statement blaming the enrollment decline on policies implemented under Miles’ leadership.

"Mike Miles singlehandedly created the frightening enrollment decline he is now using to justify school closures," Kravetz said. "Families are fleeing because he closed libraries, imposed a sterile AI curriculum that gutted rigor, and forced out strong teachers. Now he's targeting the same Black and Brown communities where he manipulated STAAR results by controlling who gets tested - and where students are paying the price."