Original Research by School Decision on Henry Ford Academy Alameda School for Art + Design
Henry Ford Academy Alameda School for Art + Design, a tuition-free college-prep charter serving grades nine through twelve, has announced permanent closure effective August 31, 2025. Families currently considering this school need to know that it will no longer operate after that date. The school cited low enrollment and a significant reduction in state funding as the drivers of closure, following notification from the Texas Education Agency that 2025-26 funding would be substantially cut.
The school's student body is small, with enrollment distributed across four high school grades. The majority of students are Hispanic, with a smaller share identifying as white or Black. Free-or-reduced-price-lunch and English learner information is not available in the data. Special education enrollment counts are also not disclosed.
On state testing, the school's most recent results show uneven performance across subjects. In science, all students met the approaches standard, and a substantial portion reached the masters level. Social studies and English language arts showed moderate proficiency in the approaches tier. Mathematics performance was notably weaker, with only a small portion of students meeting the standard and none reaching masters performance. Overall across all tested subjects, about two-thirds of students achieved the approaches level, with a modest share meeting grade-level standards and very few attaining mastery. The data reflects only the current school year, so trends cannot be assessed.
The school's attendance pattern is a concern. The chronic absenteeism rate places this district in the bottom quartile among Bexar County's districts, indicating that a high share of students miss school at levels that disrupt learning. Per-pupil current spending is in the upper-middle range among county districts, suggesting reasonable resource allocation to the students served.
The school was previously housed at the Alameda Theater complex and relocated in recent years to the University of Texas at San Antonio's downtown campus while the city undertook renovation of its permanent home. The move placed students on a university campus, which created opportunities for integration with higher education. That geographic and institutional context has now become moot given the announced closure.
Families seeking enrollment in this school should pursue alternatives immediately, as the institution will cease operations within the current school year. The district office can provide guidance on transition support and transfer options to other schools in the San Antonio area.
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