San Antonio Independent School District plans to close Rhodes Middle School, a small, academically struggling campus on the West Side.
The district made the announcement in a letter obtained by the San Antonio Report, sent to families on Tuesday signed off by Superintendent Jaime Aquino and Board President Alicia Sebastian.
If the school board approves the closure, it would be the second campus SAISD closes this year: Carvajal Elementary School, which the board approved closing in a January vote, neighbors the Rhodes campus.
When SAISD first suggested closing Carvajal for being under enrolled and a consecutively F-rated campus, district officials said the district would probably consolidate Rhodes too, though they did not say when.
The closing of Carvajal marked an unofficial start to the district’s “new way forward,” which would involve using unspent bond dollars — and potentially going out for another round of school bond elections — to demolish outdated buildings to create new state-of-the-art facilities.
During a January meeting with Carvajal families, Deputy Superintendent Patti Salzmann said Carvajal and Rhodes could be closed to build one big academy that would combine elementary and middle school grade levels.
Tuesday’s letter to families reiterated that idea.
“SAISD will combine the bond funds allocated for Rhodes and Carvajal,” the letter read. “This project will be developed with input from the Carvajal and Rhodes communities to ensure the new facility reflects their needs and priorities.”
Rhodes and Carvajal are located in one of the poorest ZIP codes in San Antonio, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. The area has a median income of $30,655 and more than 40% of the population lives below the federal poverty level.
Community members who spoke out against Carvajal’s closure saw it as a disinvestment from an already underserved neighborhood.
But both campuses have been under-enrolled and struggling academically for years, and in Texas, getting a failing rating several years in a row can trigger state intervention over the district and sometimes the forced closure of the campus.
Rhodes and Carvajal have each gotten an F-rating from the state over the past three years.
Having closed several campuses in the past, Carvajal was the first time SAISD weighed academics into the decision to rightsize.
The decision to close Rhodes would come roughly two months before school lets out for the 2025-26 school year. The last day of school at SAISD is May 28.
The board is set to vote on the school closure on Monday, March 23. If the board approves the closure, Rhodes students would be sent to Tafolla Middle School about two miles away, though students are allowed to enroll anywhere in the district.
The board is also set to decide whether to partner with charter school network Third Future Schools, to takeover operations at Tafolla and three other struggling campuses.
Senate Bill 1882 allows school districts to partner with outside groups, providing thousands in additional state dollars for the campus. SB 1882 schools usually fall into one of two camps: implementing innovative models meant to attract more students or turning a struggling campus around with a redesign.
If the board approves the partnership, Third Future Schools would take over Tafolla as well as Hirsh and Ogden elementary schools. If the board doesn’t approve closing Rhodes, the in-district charter could also take over that campus.
Several community members have called for the board to reject a partnership with the charter, which also has a presence in Colorado and Louisiana, citing their strict model of longer school days and reported concerns of financial mismanagement and lack of transparency.
Third Future Schools currently operates six other campuses in Texas, including one school in Austin ISD.
“We believe this collaboration will help strengthen instructional quality and boost student academic performance,” read a letter sent to families from all campuses being considered for Third Future Schools. “In districts where Third Future Schools have partnered, campuses have seen meaningful improvements in academic outcomes and accountability ratings.”
