Original Research by School Decision on Depelchin-richmond
Depelchin-Richmond closed its doors and is no longer operating as a school. The entity was an alternative-school campus of the University of Texas University Charter School, a system designed to serve students in residential treatment facilities and psychiatric care settings rather than a traditional public school district.
The school occupied a physical location in Richmond on South 7th Street and served middle grades. Because it operated as an alternative program within a specialized charter network, its enrollment was small and its student population consisted primarily of youth in crisis care or treatment. State testing data for the school shows only sparse proficiency information from its final year of operation, with the numbers too small to report meaningful results, which is typical for alternative and residential programs where students often cycle through based on treatment stays rather than remaining for full school years.
The University of Texas charter operates across multiple Texas communities wherever the university runs care partnerships. It is not a traditional geographic school district; rather, it sits alongside inpatient psychiatric hospitals, residential treatment centers, and specialized facilities. For this reason, standard school-district metrics like property-tax rates, attendance boundaries, or residential appeal do not apply in the way they do for conventional public schools. The district has no residential footprint in Richmond itself.
The broader UT University Charter School system has adopted a trauma-informed instructional model based on the Neurosequential Model in Education, shifting classroom practice toward safe and supportive learning environments rather than traditional behavior management. The district has also recently launched a fully accredited online high school diploma program, open to any eligible Texas student and offering flexible, self-paced pathways to graduation.
Because Depelchin-Richmond is no longer open, families seeking school options in Richmond would need to look to active campuses in the area or to the University of Texas charter's remaining operational sites serving students in active residential or psychiatric facilities.
See more original research from School Decision →