Spanish World School Will Open Dallas Campus in 2027

The preschool will convert a former city library to serve families in Lake Highlands, Highland Park, and Lakewood.

Updated on Oct. 1, 2026 in Openings & Closings

Spanish World School Will Open Dallas Campus in 2027

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Should private businesses be allowed to repurpose former community facilities in your area?

Spanish World School plans to launch a new campus in 2027 at the former Skillman Southwestern Branch Library in Dallas. The expansion will occupy a 13,200-square-foot facility to accommodate 200 interested families seeking childcare for children aged 3 months to 5 years.

Why it matters

The repurposing of the shuttered library follows the property's $3.3 million sale at auction, highlighting how private operators are absorbing underutilized municipal assets to meet rising demand for early childhood education services.

Founders Catherine Wallace and Luis Martinez secured the 13,200-square-foot building for $3.3 million. The facility aims to support a waitlist of approximately 200 families across the Dallas area.

The players

Catherine Wallace

Founder and school operator who led the $3.3 million acquisition of the former library site.

Luis Martinez

Founder and school operator who co-purchased the building to expand childcare capacity in Dallas.

Spanish World School

Private educational institution specializing in early childhood development for children aged 3 months to 5 years.

The details

The facility is currently undergoing renovations to adapt the library structure for early childhood development needs. Operating as a private entity, the school targets the care gap left by the 2025 closure of the branch, which shuttered due to a lack of city budget funding. By retrofitting existing infrastructure, the operators are scaling capacity significantly faster than through ground-up development.

The Skillman Southwestern Branch Library closed in 2025.
Founders purchased the building at auction in early 2026.
The new campus is scheduled to open in 2027.

Market Landscape

The repurposing of the Skillman Southwestern Branch Library marks a shift in how Dallas reallocates city assets after budget-driven facility closures. This transaction follows a pattern of private entities absorbing shuttered municipal infrastructure to address service gaps in high-demand neighborhoods.

Operators in the education and childcare sectors should monitor the conversion of the 13,200-square-foot site as a benchmark for local renovation costs and municipal asset acquisition. Businesses in adjacent service industries should watch for the 2027 opening to gauge new demand patterns in Lake Highlands and Lakewood.

The takeaway

The successful acquisition of the library building illustrates the viability of using vacant public infrastructure to scale specialized service businesses quickly. Operators facing capacity constraints should track local government surplus property auctions for similar opportunities to secure footprint space.