Save Pflugerville Elementary: Reject Draft Scenario 3

Pflugerville Elementary has been part of this community since 1978. For nearly 50 years, it has served generations of students and families and has become more than just a school building. It is part of the identity of this neighborhood and a place where children have learned, grown, and built lasting memories.

Now, under PfISD’s Draft Scenario 3, Pflugerville Elementary is being considered for closure.

According to the district’s own proposal, this scenario would close Pflugerville Elementary and rezone students to other campuses such as Wieland, Carpenter, Hidden Lake, and/or Brookhollow. The district notes that Pflugerville Elementary currently has 366 students enrolled, is operating at 61% utilization, and estimates that closing the school would save about $1.17 million in year one. It also states that only 269 zoned students currently attend the school, while at least 290 students zoned to PES transfer out to other PfISD schools, charter schools, or private schools.

Those numbers may tell one part of the story. But they do not tell the whole story.

Because a school is not just a line item on a spreadsheet.

A school is where children find stability.
It is where families build connections.
It is where teachers pour into students year after year.
It is where a neighborhood finds part of its identity.

And once a school like that is gone, the loss is not easy to reverse.

Why this matters personally

As someone helping support this effort, I have seen firsthand how deeply people care about this school. The concern is not just about a building closing. It is about what happens when a long-standing neighborhood school, one that has been part of Pflugerville since 1978, is treated like it can simply be replaced by shifting attendance boundaries.

For many families and community members, Pflugerville Elementary represents familiarity, history, and belonging. It is part of the story of this city. People are not just reacting to a proposal. They are reacting to the possibility of losing something that has mattered to this community for decades.

There is also a broader community concern about what closure could mean for the surrounding area and shared community spaces that families have associated with this part of town for years. Even the uncertainty around that has created real fear and frustration.

That matters.

The district’s proposal raises bigger questions

PfISD’s presentation explains the closure recommendation by pointing to declining enrollment, transfers out of the campus, and the age of the facility. It notes that Pflugerville Elementary was built in 1978, is one of the district’s older schools, and does not meet the capacity requirements of a “modern” PfISD elementary school. The district also says the surrounding housing growth is expected to have only limited impact on enrollment.

But if so many students zoned to PES are attending elsewhere, then that should raise an important question:

Why are families leaving, and what would it take to bring them back?

That is the conversation our community deserves.

Because closure should not be the first or only answer.

This proposal also raises serious equity concerns. School closures do not affect all communities equally. When neighborhood schools serving students and families with greater economic need are considered for closure, the disruption can be especially harmful. These schools often provide stability, connection, and support that go beyond academics. If district leaders are truly committed to equity, then district optimization should not come at the expense of communities that already face greater challenges.

If enrollment is the concern, then the district should be talking seriously about:

• strategic rezoning adjustments
• specialized or innovative programming
• stronger efforts to attract and retain neighborhood families
• revitalization plans that strengthen the campus rather than erase it

In other words, if a school is struggling, the answer should not automatically be to shut it down. The answer should be to ask whether it has truly been given every opportunity to succeed.

This is bigger than one school

Pflugerville Elementary is not just another campus on a district chart. It is a school with nearly 50 years of history, a school that has served this community through generations of change, and a school that still matters to the people around it.

Neighborhood schools matter.

They matter for student stability.
They matter for family connection.
They matter for community identity.
And they matter because once they are gone, they are rarely brought back.

We understand that PfISD is facing difficult enrollment and financial challenges. We are not asking the district to ignore those realities. We are asking district leaders and the Board of Trustees to make sure they are not solving one problem by creating another.

What we are asking

We are calling on PfISD leadership and the Board of Trustees to:

• Reject Draft Scenario 3
• Keep Pflugerville Elementary open
• Fully explore alternatives before considering closure
• Prioritize community-centered solutions over permanent loss

Pflugerville Elementary deserves more than a closure proposal.

It deserves a future.

Please sign and share this petition to help save Pflugerville Elementary.