Officials with the La Joya Independent School District met with parents and students after announcing the closure of two elementary schools.

The school district announced Leo James Leo Elementary School near Palmview and Rosendo Benavides Elementary School in Sullivan City will shut down at the end of the school year due to low student enrollment, according to a district spokesperson.

Prior to the Thursday meeting, students and parents protested the closures.

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“I would love to help save my school because I love this school, it matters a lot to me,” Leo James Leo elementary student Isabela Johnson said. “If the school closed down, and I didn't do anything, I’d feel bad because I didn't do anything to stop it. But even being here now, it makes me happy, having a chance to stop it."

Valerie Morolez, whose child attends Rosendo Benavides, also protested the closures.

“I know they already made their decision, but we hope for change,” Morolez said. “Parents have a voice, their children have a voice, and we hope they think the best interest for our children."

District spokesperson Blanca Cantu said the decision to close the schools was not taken lightly.

Neither school has had more than 400 students enrolled during the last four years. Other campuses have had well over that amount, Cantu said.

“We've done all of the efforts that we can to increase enrollment and the enrollment has just declined back from 2020,” Cantu said.

Students at both schools will be rezoned to neighboring sister schools for next school year, and job cuts will not be made for school staff.

“All of the teachers will have a choice,” Cantu said. “They will have a choice to move into the sister schools for the rezoning of the schools, or have the choice of any vacant positions."