SAN ANTONIO – San Antonio Independent School District sent families a letter on Tuesday announcing the closure of Rhodes Middle School at the end of the 2025-2026 school year.
Parents in the district told KSAT they feel overlooked as the district makes decisions for the future of their students.
“We have to be our kid’s voices,” parent Crystal Villarreal said. “Rhodes is a community school, it’s our community. That’s what we want. We want it to stay for our kids.”
Villarreal is an SAISD parent of two Rhodes Middle School students and three Carvajal Elementary School students. Both Rhodes and Carvajal are set to close at the end of the 2025-2026 school year.
“That’s a lot of questions for the parents, like is the transportation going to be provided?” Villarreal asked.
Villarreal’s daughter, Maisie, said she’s “not upset, but, like, nervous.”
Maisie pointed to the possibility of losing her friends as her nerves grow anticipating next school year.
Another parent, Ashley Duran, also has students at both schools that are expected to close.
“Just a lot of emotions, you know, because we live walking distance from the school,” Duran said. “Panic and stress on us families that rely on the schools that are in the neighborhood. So, the transportation being a big one, I’m sure it’s going to come. It’s stressful, very, very stressful.”
Not only is transportation a stressor for these families, but losing the legacy is also worrying to them.
“My husband went to Rhodes Middle School, his mom went to Rhodes Middle School,” Crystal Villarreal said.
Duran said three generations of her family attended Rhodes.
The SAISD board meeting agenda for March 16 did not note discussions about the future of Rhodes Middle School. However, the agenda item is listed for the March 23 meeting.
According to the SAISD email to families and staff from March 17, Rhodes students will be assigned to Tafolla Middle School. However, SAISD students can enroll at any school within the district.
The district statement also said that San Antonio ISD will partner with Third Future Schools at some campuses to “accelerate student growth and build on the progress already seen.”
According to the Third Future Schools website, it is a “proven school turnaround expert and education improvement partner.”
KSAT requested an interview with Third Future Schools about the new partnership, but the organization declined.
“We are happy to do an interview when/if a contract is signed with the district,” a spokesperson wrote.
SAISD wrote in their email to parents “Tafolla Middle School will be operated by Third Future Schools.”
The agenda for March 23 says the school board still must approve of the “closure of Rhodes Middle School as recommended by the District’s Administration.”
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