Uvalde, Texas, school district closes all campuses after ransomware attack

Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District said ransomware was detected on district servers and will close all campuses Sept. 15-18 while investigators assess damage and restore systems. The district, in Uvalde, Texas, reported the incident to the FBI and its cyber insurance team and began forensic analysis to determine whether any sensitive data was compromised. Affected services include phones, air-conditioning controls, security cameras, visitor management and the Skyward platform, which officials called essential for school safety. Missed days will be swapped with previously scheduled nonworking days, officials said.

Local reporting in Uvalde says systems first failed Sept. 12 at Dalton Elementary and Uvalde High School, leaving staff without internet or air conditioning while students were out. The Skyward payroll system also crashed ahead of the semimonthly payday, affecting maintenance workers, custodians and bus drivers. The district said it aims to issue paychecks Monday or Tuesday. Officials said the four missed days will be made up using previously scheduled nonworking days.

UCISD serves 4,062 students across eight schools, amplifying the impact of the outage. The shutdown comes amid a broader rise in K-12 ransomware incidents, up 23% in the first half of 2025 from a year earlier, underscoring how school districts remain prime targets. The closure comes as the district has faced heightened scrutiny over campus security since the 2022 Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde.