As Austin ISD students return to their classrooms for the spring semester, the district is preparing to dive into enrollment season. This year, enrollment decisions will look more complicated for some Austin families, especially for the roughly 3,500 students affected by the school closures and state turnaround plans approved by the board of trustees on Nov. 21 for next school year.
For all students, there are three rounds of enrollment, set to start Jan. 12. With applications for round one open through Feb. 6, AISD students can apply to over a dozen magnet and special programs, including the moved Montessori (Reilly ES) and two-way dual-language programs at Sánchez, Wooten, Pickle, and Odom elementaries.
In round two, regular enrollment for neighborhood schools opens Feb. 16, with transfer requests due April 10. Transfer results will be released April 24. General registration at Enroll Austin and additional transfer requests will continue through the last day of the school year in round three.
And apart from general enrollment, families at schools slated for closure and program moves now have a separate process: On Jan. 12, the district will send a survey where they can rank up to seven schools they’re interested in moving to, open through Jan. 23. After the district runs lotteries for any school with more demand than available seats, those families will receive their informal school assignment for next year via email between Feb. 9 and 13.
“That is late if you are in private preschool. That is late if you’re looking at charters and private schools, and your school has closed, and you’re not sure where you’re going to go,” Trustee Kathryn Whitley Chu emphasized to district officials during the Dec. 18 board meeting.
Enrollment in AISD has dropped by over 11,700 students since the 2019-2020 school year as of late this fall, according to district officials. And with the school closures, private and charter school deposit deadlines looming, and the state’s private school voucher applications opening in early February, trustees expressed concern on Dec. 18 that enrollment next year could drop even more drastically.
“I don’t want to … lose any family to this process, but know there will be disruptions. And we also know there will be families who choose Austin ISD now because of the changes we’re seeing,” AISD Superintendent Matias Segura said in response.
Moreover, for both English-learning and English-speaking students currently in dual-language programs slated to be moved, Yvette Cardenas, AISD’s executive director of academic programs, said the district will “look for solutions” to make sure those students can continue in the dual-language program at their new school, like staffing. “We truly have a commitment to make sure that all of the dual-language students are going to have a seat,” Cardenas said.
AISD is also creating “transition teams” for each impacted campus, made up of teachers, classified staff, and parents, who will lead the transitions of their own school communities to new campuses. Moreover, the district will hold in-person enrollment clinics for families at Barrington, Odom, Dawson, Oak Springs, and Widén elementaries and at Martin and Bedichek middle schools throughout January, following ones that already took place in December.
“If we want to have people come back, then we have to treat them like family, and that’s what it’s going to take,” Trustee Candace Hunter reminded the administration. “People are going to do what they’re going to do, and what’s best for them.”
For AISD faculty and staff, match fairs will occur Feb. 7 and March 7, as the district aims to internally reassign all of its employees at impacted schools to new campuses. Maintaining an external hiring freeze until later in the spring, those new placements will be finalized April 17.
This article appears in January 9 • 2026.