December 16, 2024 – Amid declining enrollment numbers, the Amarillo ISD Board of Trustees decided to close the District’s three smallest elementary schools, Park Hills Elementary, Pleasant Valley Elementary and Sunrise Elementary, at the end of the current school year and consolidate them with paired campuses beginning in August 2025.
Small schools are not fiscally efficient to operate, especially with the current state funding model. At the meeting, board members expressed concern that the District cannot responsibly continue to delay this difficult decision. Throughout AISD’s 100+ year history, the District has made adjustments to correspond with changes and shifts in our community’s population, including closing and/or consolidating schools over the years. A notable example is Morrow Elementary, which is now the Region 16 ESC Head Start Cleveland Street Center. Amarillo ISD closed the school in 1965 when the development of I-40 and the Interchange caused many families to move out of the neighborhood, and enrollment dropped below 200. Morrow Elementary students then shifted to Glenwood and Sanborn Elementaries. Wilson Elementary, which many people drive by daily as they come through the Interchange, met a similar fate. It was closed in the 1970s because the Interchange brought the highway too close to the school grounds.
At this time, many school districts across the state are taking similar steps to deal with declining enrollments and budget shortfalls. Ultimately, AISD leaders believe that consolidating some smaller campuses will create even stronger schools with improved opportunities and services for all students. Our District will remain focused on our students and their future academic success, and campus and district leadership will work closely with staff and families of the affected schools to make this transition as smooth as possible. No staff members will lose their jobs because of the consolidations.
More information about this decision, including the new attendance zones for the schools that are closing, is available on our website at https://www.amaisd.org/enrollment.
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