Aldine ISD leaders are no longer recommending the closure of Hoffman Middle School, leaving six campuses on the chopping block ahead of a vote Tuesday on whether to shutter schools across the district.

District administrators announced the change Thursday during a board workshop that served as one of the final meetings before next week’s school board vote. Aldine leaders originally recommended closing Hoffman, which houses 642 students in grades 6 through 8, and splitting those students between Garcia Middle School and Drew Academy.

In early January, Aldine administrators unveiled a recommendation to close two early education campuses, four elementary schools and Hoffman Middle as part of an annual “optimization” process. District leaders cited declining enrollment, a lack of major increases in state funding and the need to more efficiently use campus space as main reasons for the proposal.

Adrian Bustillos, the district’s chief transformation officer, said the removal of Hoffman Middle from the list followed feedback from the school community about concerns with potential changes to magnet programs available to students. Hoffman Middle offers a college prep track, while Drew Academy provides fine arts and science, technology, engineering and math magnet school. Garcia Middle doesn’t have a magnet program.

Bustillos warned, however, that Hoffman Middle could face closure in the near future. Aldine shuttered three elementary schools in 2024, and district leaders plan to consider closing more of their 75 campuses in the coming years. 

Hoffman Middle’s enrollment has declined nearly 50 percent over the past five years, and the campus has space for twice as many students as currently enrolled. Closing the school would save an estimated $6.9 million annually, district leaders said. 

“We will need more time to look at the runway between next school year,” Bustillos said. “This would be one of our starting points for district optimization.” 

With the change, district leaders said they will officially nix an earlier proposal to relocate students from Smith Elementary School — one of the six remaining campuses under consideration for closure — to Hoffman Middle. Instead, students attending Smith would be sent to Ermel, Harris or Caraway elementary schools, depending on where they live. District administrators pitched both options when they unveiled their plan in early January.

Aldine leaders held three community meetings in recent weeks, explaining to families how the changes would work and taking feedback from residents. 

The district’s trustees have not tipped their hand on how they plan to vote next week. Board President Kimberley Booker said Thursday trustees have “some tough decisions to make, and this is just the beginning.” The six remaining campuses at risk of closure enroll about 2,800 students.

“We do have the information that we need to make the best decision for the district and our students,” Booker said.

However, Trustee Viola García on Thursday criticized the district’s approach to only host three community meetings, arguing families didn’t get enough opportunities to provide feedback to Aldine leaders.

After the vote, Aldine leaders plan to hold community meetings at each campus approved for closure and provide information to parents in the spring about transportation, programs available to students at their new school and other next steps.

As Aldine’s school board considers the latest round of closures, trustees received a grim forecast Thursday about enrollment. Rocky Gardiner, a schools consultant from Southlake-based Zonda Education, presented estimates showing the 57,000-student district will lose another 9,000-plus students by the 2034-35 school year. 

Aldine’s enrollment has steadily fallen from a peak of roughly 70,000 students in the mid-2010s as more charter schools open in the area, local birth rates decline and fewer families with school-age children choose to live in the area.

Angelica Perez is a general assignment reporter for the Landing’s education team. Find her @byangelicaperez on Instagram and X, or reach her directly at angelica@houstonlanding.org.

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