CEDAR HILL, Texas — At the end of this school year, a North Texas school district will retire a school that's been open for more than a century.
Cedar Hill Independent School District officials announced that Bray Elementary School will close on May 26.
The school serves about 300 pre-K through fifth-grade students. It first opened as the Cedar Hill School in 1901 and was the town's first and only school until the 1950s, according to the district website. The school was eventually named after Floy Bray, a first-grade teacher in Cedar Hill for more than 50 years.
The current building was constructed in 1937, according to The Bray Way Forward school newsletter.
Multiple expansions of the building happened through the years, but district leaders decided to close the school due to a declining enrollment, failed bond elections, and lack of critical funding for the building, according to the newsletter.
The newsletter listed multiple concerns for the school, including poor roof conditions, plumbing issues, lack of storage space, and outdated security systems.
"Unfortunately, the building does not provide our scholars and staff with a safe school environment that meets the needs of learning or teaching in the 21st century," the newsletter said.
The school district officials said they are working with the Zonda Education group to rezone current Bray students to new schools. In the meantime, current Bray families can apply for two elementary programs:
- Montessori at Lake Ridge Elementary
- Fine Arts Academy at High Pointe Elementary School
Families who don't want to apply for those programs will attend their new home campus for the 2023-2024 school year. You can also request your child to be transferred to another CHISD campus.
The new zoning plan is expected to be presented to the Board on March 6, and trustees are set to give a final vote on the March 20.
The Bray Way Forward newsletter said there are multiple campuses about five miles from Bray that have space for new students. About 230 students were expected to attend Bray the following school year.
Cedar Hill school district officials said there's a place in the district for every Bray faculty and staff member who wants to stay. The district's human resources department will meet with each person to talk about where they'll be moved to. The goal is to have those plans finalized by April 14.
In the coming months, there will be a series of events to honor and celebrate Bray Elementary.
As of now, there have been no discussions around demolishing the campus.
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