Historically Segregated Mexican-American Public Schools

Mexican School in Marathon (Brewster County) is at left; the building at right was the gymnasium

The segregation of Mexican-American students in Texas schools persisted into the 1950s. As many as 122 school districts maintained segregated schools in the 1940s until the practice was ruled illegal in 1948 in the landmark case, Delgado v. Bastrop I.S.D.  The buildings used as Mexican schools were poorly maintained, with minimal space for recreation.  After 1948, many schools closed and were repurposed as segregated Black schools or as storage facilities. Some communities defied the ruling and still maintained segregation until the 1957 case, Hernandez v. Driscoll C.I.S.D.

Since the 1950s, a great many of these Mexican schools have long since been demolished. Those that survive have been neglected, and may not even be remembered in their communities for what they were. These historic landmarks are in need of documentation and preservation.

Inspired by the recent designation of Marfa’s Blackwell School as a National Historic Site, Preservation Texas will work statewide with local preservation commissions, certified local governments, and other stakeholders such as Latinos in Heritage Conservation to identify extant historic Mexican-American public school buildings and prioritize their preservation. In support of this effort, the development of a comprehensive web-based information resource about these schools will be created.