Austin ISD Pushes Major School Boundary Overhaul to 2027-28

Austin Independent School District is slowing its plans to redraw school attendance boundaries, shifting to a two-phase approach that district leaders say will allow for more community input and better long-term planning.

The district had originally planned to implement districtwide boundary changes for the 2027-28 school year. Instead, Superintendent Matias Segura announced that the process will begin with targeted adjustments at campuses facing immediate enrollment pressures, while broader boundary changes will be delayed until 2027.

Under the revised timeline, Phase One will focus on campuses experiencing projected enrollment growth that could otherwise require additional portable classrooms, which the district said it cannot afford. AISD has not identified which schools will be affected by the changes.

District officials expect to release a proposal for the first round of boundary changes next month, with the Austin ISD Board of Trustees scheduled to vote in September.

Phase One will also establish an attendance boundary for Marshall Middle School for the first time.

The broader Phase Two will begin in January 2027 and is expected to include districtwide boundary changes and possible school closures. The school board is expected to vote on those proposals in the fall of 2027.

"Taking this extra time allows us to monitor enrollment trends following recent closures, analyze data from our October enrollment snapshot, and further progress our academic visioning," Segura wrote in a message to families.

District leaders say the boundary review is driven by declining enrollment, budget challenges, and uneven student populations across campuses. Under-enrolled schools place additional financial pressure on the district by increasing operating expenses while serving fewer students.

Housing affordability is also contributing to the enrollment decline, according to local real estate agent Sean Mooney of Mooreland Properties.

"Affordability has been one of the biggest issues that we're coming across, and it's why a lot of these schools are closing," Mooney said, noting that rising home prices have made it more difficult for young families to move into many established Austin neighborhoods.

Mooney said school attendance zones remain one of the top priorities for homebuyers, but uncertainty surrounding future boundary changes has caused some prospective buyers to delay purchasing homes.

"The number one thing that people look at is the school," Mooney said. "The school makes the community, the community makes the neighborhood."

AISD officials said the revised timeline is intended to give the district more time to evaluate enrollment data and engage families during the school year before making long-term decisions affecting campuses across Austin.

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