Careful with this idea of "capacity" in schools. I'll use Dallas and Arlington ISDs as examples here, using publicly accessible data.

Dallas ISD has several high schools that were *large* 5A schools back when 5A was the largest classification - that are now 4A schools, and on the smaller side of 4A or smaller at that (Adamson, North Dallas, Roosevelt, for example). Many of those schools had enrollments double what their current buildings have.

Continuing with DISD as an example, in 1968, the district had about 160,000 students. By 1978 that number had dropped to 132,000 students. But in 2000, it was up to 161,000. Enrollment in inner city schools is cyclical - as families move out and neighborhoods gentrify, enrollment goes down. As young childless people move out of gentrified neighborhoods and as they age, the enrollment goes back up.

For every DISD school that's "under capacity" there are two or three that are literally bursting at the seams. Skyline HS is one of the fifteen largest HS by enrollment in Texas, and it's literally ten miles from Roosevelt HS, the smallest school in the district with a sixth its enrollment - over 4200 kids compared to about 700.

Arlington is similar. There are four high schools in AISD that in recent years have used portables due to overcrowding (Sam Houston, Martin, Arlington, and Lamar) yet there are two schools in the district that are at 2/3 capacity (Bowie and Seguin). You can't just redraw the attendance lines annually to make sure the population balances. Plus, there's frequently a HUGE variance between grade levels.

If you close those "under capacity" schools in Houston you could be talking about kids riding a bus for up to an hour to go to school. Parents are right to not want that for their kids.