AUSTIN, Texas — A former Austin elementary school is reopening with a new purpose years after closing down.
What was once Pease Elementary School is set to become a child care facility after a decision made by the Austin ISD school board.
The Downtown Austin building will be able to house roughly 130 children between six weeks and five years old, after a 10-year lease was agreed upon between the school district and United Way for Greater Austin. The Central Texas nonprofit focuses on quality education and early child care, as well as creating fair accessibility to resources.
KUT reports that the organization hopes to open the early childhood center by 2027. Daily operations would reportedly be run by Goodwill Central Texas, which is listed in the lease agreement as a sublessee.
United Way hopes to raise $18 million for building renovations, CEO David C. Smith told KUT.
Priority acceptance will consider factors like a child’s age, their family’s income and how likely they are to attend an Austin ISD school. Children whose parents or guardians work for the district are also likely to be prioritized.
The historic facility can be found at 1106 Rio Grande St., roughly a half-mile away from the Texas Capitol building.
The history of Pease Elementary School
The well-known school was originally closed by Austin ISD during the 2019-2020 school year after funding and enrollment levels became scarce.
Before its closure, Pease was “the oldest, continuously running elementary school in Texas,” the district’s then-superintendent said. It originally opened in 1876 and was remodeled in 1949, according to Austin ISD.
Several years before shutting its doors, the school was named a Texas historic landmark back. Then in 2023, the district reportedly received $3 million in federal funds to kickstart the new facility.