Spring Branch ISD weighs closing Northbrook Middle amid budget shortfall
Northbrook Middle could be the next Spring Branch campus to close, forcing sixth- through eighth-graders, staff and programs into a districtwide shuffle.
Spring Branch ISD could vote May 11 to close Northbrook Middle School, putting one of the district’s North of Interstate 10 campuses on the chopping block as enrollment slides and the budget stays tight. A community meeting was set for Monday at 6:30 p.m. in the Northbrook Middle School auditorium, giving families a chance to react before trustees take up the proposal.
The numbers driving the debate are stark. Spring Branch projected 32,972 students for fiscal 2025, then approved a $362.7 million general fund budget after cutting $35 million in spending. Those reductions included the elimination of 305.5 positions, along with school closures and program changes. District budget materials show the financial pressure has not gone away, and the board already has one recent precedent for consolidation: Treasure Forest Elementary and Panda Path School for Early Learning were closed in 2023 to help cover a $35 million deficit.
Northbrook’s academic record has also become part of the conversation. The campus, which serves grades 6 through 8, had a Texas accountability rating of B in 2023, then fell to D in 2024 and F in 2025. Bruce Hill is listed as principal, with Lisett Baez, Carol Bucek and Sonya Clark as assistant principals. If the school closes, those leadership roles, along with school-specific staffing and programs, would be caught up in the district’s next round of cuts.
The implications go beyond one building. Spring Branch’s SKY partnership model has included YES Prep Public Schools and KIPP Houston Public Schools at Northbrook and Landrum campuses, along with a shared high-school program at Northbrook High School. Any closure at Northbrook Middle would force the district to sort out how those partnerships fit into a smaller footprint and what happens to the campus after eighth graders leave.
The politics are just as sharp as the budget math. A former Northbrook teacher has argued that the debate reflects a broader pattern of underinvestment north of Interstate 10, where more Hispanic and working-class families live. For trustees, the question is not only whether Northbrook should close, but what message another shutdown would send to families across Spring Branch who have already seen schools, staff and programs pared back.
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