The La Joya Independent School District is losing students and money, making it harder to maintain aging campuses.

The district has lost at least 8,000 students over the past decade, and another 1,000 are expected to leave in the 2026-2027 school year.

School funding is tied to enrollment, and fewer students mean less money for the district.

The district is launching a full facility assessment this month. The assessment will help officials identify what needs immediate attention.

Results will be used to create a long-term plan, including how to use buildings more efficiently as enrollment changes. Officials have already approved the closure of several campuses as part of those efforts.

The district says more school closures are possible if enrollment keeps dropping to help save money.

To protect classroom programs, the district has cut spending in other areas, including operations and maintenance. That has forced the district to rely on temporary fixes for building issues.

"We're talking about those annual costs that come up that the district has to consider... chiller maintenance and HVAC. We're talking about life safety systems like fire alarms. We're talking about building restoration repairs," La Joya ISD Chief Operations Officer S.B. Pierson said.

Results from the assessment are expected this summer. The district will hear feedback from community members before presenting a decision to the board.