Houston School Closings Today — Live Status & Delays (Texas)

Are Houston schools closed today? Check live status below — updated every 10 minutes.

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Please enable JavaScript in your browser, then reload this page to see current closure and delay information for Houston ISD and surrounding districts. In the meantime, check directly: Houston ISD (houstonisd.org), KPRC Click2Houston, or ABC13 KTRK.

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Live status monitored for Houston Independent School District (HISD).

How Houston ISD Announces School Closings

Houston Independent School District — the largest public school system in Texas with more than 273 campuses and approximately 189,000 students — communicates closures and delays through several official channels. Families enrolled in HISD receive automated calls, text messages, and emails through the SchoolMessenger notification system. Parents can also download the HISD Connect app for push notifications. Official announcements appear on the HISD website at houstonisd.org and are posted to the district’s official social media accounts. The district aims to post closure decisions by 5:30–6:00 AM on the morning of the event, though in cases of anticipated severe tropical weather, announcements can come the evening before.

Because HISD is a large urban district, it sometimes closes individual campuses rather than issuing a district-wide closure — for example, when a specific school loses power or experiences localized flooding. This means families should always verify their specific school’s status at houstonisd.org/schools rather than assuming a full-district decision applies to them. Local TV stations — including KPRC Click2Houston, KTRK ABC13, KHOU 11 CBS, and KRIV FOX 26 — broadcast school closing lists during severe weather events and are also monitored by this page.

Weather Risks That Trigger Houston School Closures

Tropical storms and hurricanes: Houston sits within the Gulf Coast hurricane belt. Named storms and tropical depressions frequently force multi-day closures, with HISD following Harris County emergency management protocols for mandatory evacuations.
Flash flooding and heavy rainfall: Greater Houston’s flat topography, clay soils, and extensive impervious surfaces make it one of the most flood-prone metro areas in the United States. A single major rain event can flood roadways and school parking lots within hours.
Winter freeze events: Freezing rain, sleet, and black ice occur several times per decade in the Houston area. Bridge decks and overpasses ice over before surface roads, making bus routes dangerous. The catastrophic Winter Storm Uri (February 2021) closed HISD for nearly two weeks.
Severe thunderstorms and tornadoes: The Houston metro lies in a secondary tornado belt. Severe thunderstorm cells can produce damaging winds and tornadoes, prompting shelter-in-place or early dismissal decisions.
Dense fog: Coastal fog from the Gulf of Mexico can reduce visibility to near zero, particularly in the early morning hours when students are commuting, occasionally prompting delayed start times.
Extreme heat and utility outages: Extended power outages — whether from storms or summer heat demand — can make campuses unsafe. HISD may close individual schools that lose air conditioning during extreme heat events.

Frequently Asked Questions — Houston School Closings

How early does Houston ISD announce school closures?

Houston Independent School District (HISD) typically announces school closures by 5:30–6:00 AM on the day of the closure. For anticipated severe weather such as approaching tropical storms or widespread winter freeze events, HISD may issue a closure decision the evening before — sometimes as early as 9:00–10:00 PM. Families are notified through SchoolMessenger automated calls, texts, and emails, as well as the HISD website, HISD Connect app, and local TV stations including KPRC, ABC13, KHOU, and FOX 26.

Does HISD close the whole district at once, or can individual schools close?

Both. For large-scale weather events such as hurricanes or ice storms, HISD typically issues a district-wide closure affecting all 273+ campuses. However, for localized events — such as a water main break, power outage, or localized flooding — HISD may close or delay just one or a handful of specific schools while the rest operate normally. Always check your individual school’s page at houstonisd.org/schools to confirm whether your campus specifically is affected.

Why do Houston schools close? It rarely snows there.

The most common cause of Houston ISD closures is flooding from heavy rainfall and tropical weather systems — not snow. The Greater Houston area’s flat terrain and large amount of paved surfaces mean that even moderate rainstorms can quickly inundate streets and school parking lots. During rare winter freeze events, ice forms on bridge decks and elevated roadways, making bus routes hazardous. Houston’s road infrastructure lacks the de-icing equipment found in colder climates, so even a thin coat of freezing rain creates dangerous conditions. HISD also closes for tropical storm threats, utility outages, and air quality emergencies.

Which Houston TV stations report HISD school closings?

The primary Houston TV stations that broadcast school closing lists are KPRC Click2Houston (NBC), KTRK ABC13, KHOU 11 (CBS), and KRIV FOX 26. During major weather events, all four stations run continuous school closing tickers. This page automatically monitors official HISD sources and all four local TV stations simultaneously, giving you consolidated status without visiting multiple sites.

How often is this Houston school closings page updated?

This page checks official HISD feeds and local TV sources automatically every 15 minutes under normal conditions, and every 5 minutes during active weather alerts. The live dashboard at the top of this page shows the exact time of the most recent check. During tropical storm season (June–November) and winter storm events, data refreshes more aggressively in the background so you always see the most current information available.

What is the fastest way to find out if Houston schools are closed today?

The fastest ways to find out if Houston ISD schools are closed today are: (1) check this page, which aggregates all official and TV sources and refreshes every 5–15 minutes; (2) check the HISD website directly at houstonisd.org; (3) look for a SchoolMessenger notification in your email or texts if you are an enrolled HISD family; or (4) watch local TV channels KPRC, ABC13, KHOU, or FOX 26 for school closing tickers. You can also subscribe to email alerts via the form at the top of this page to receive notifications before the district’s official announcement.