Hello Austin ISD Families,
Next week is School Resource Officer Appreciation Week! Our School Resource Officers help keep our students and staff safe and we are very grateful for the work they do on our campuses. If you see one of our officers, say hello!
Enrollment season is upon us! Applications for Round 2, General Enrollment and General Transfers opens Monday. Explore your options at austinisd.org/enroll. Reminder: Monday, Feb. 16 is President's Day/Student holiday. Tuesday, Feb. 17 is a Staff Development, Elementary and Secondary Parent Conference Days, a student holiday and Lunar New Year! Students return to school Wed., Feb. 18. Let’s get started! |
Congratulations to our 2026 Teachers of the Year and Teachers of Promise |
We're excited to announce the 2026 Campus Teachers of the Year and Teachers of Promise! Each year, our campus staff get together to vote for one of their teammates as their Campus Teacher of the Year. Campus Teachers of the Year are teachers who exemplify the best of teaching and set the standard for excellence in their classrooms and school communities.
Go Deeper: Campus Teachers of the Year are invited to submit an application and essay as part of our District Teacher of the Year selection process! During our Salute Awards event on May 6, we will announce our Austin ISD Elementary and Secondary Teachers of the Year who are then eligible to continue through the Texas Teacher of the Year process. Teachers of Promise
Campus leadership teams also nominate one Teacher of Promise to represent their campus for the year. Teachers of Promise are first-year educators who show exceptional potential, passion and dedication to the teaching profession.
This week, we honored our Teachers of Promise with a special breakfast and celebrated our Teachers of the Year with a luncheon! Both events were held at Springdale Station and featured delicious food, remarks from Austin ISD leadership and amazing community building.
All campus Teachers of the Year and Teachers of Promise will be honored at our Salute Awards event on May 6! Click here to see a list of all of our honorees! Congratulations to these incredible educators! |
Achievement gaps narrow across Austin ISD second-grade classrooms |
Austin ISD is seeing significant gains in student achievement and substantial reductions in achievement gaps between student groups. This news comes from mid-year testing reports, which track second-grade students who are identified for additional support in math and reading.
Based on these data, the number of campuses receiving “F” ratings under the state accountability system is projected to drop from 23 to fewer than 15 for the 2026 testing year, a significant decrease as the district focuses on targeted school improvement.
“Austin ISD is a large system that is moving in the right direction,” Superintendent Matias Segura said. “It’s incredible to see the data show what we’ve expected all along as we’ve built districtwide systems that focus on students and staff receiving what they need to be successful.” The district’s focus on establishing a strong educational foundation early is yielding measurable results for the first cohort of second-grade students, as tracked in this data. |
- In math, the percentage of students recommended for intervention dropped from 31% at the beginning of the year to 22% by the middle of the year—a 9-point improvement.
- Literacy showed a similar positive trend, with students needing intervention decreasing from 26% to 21% over the same period.
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Crucially, the data show that historically underserved student groups are making the fastest gains, narrowing achievement gaps between groups. |
- Black students and students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds saw a 15-percentage-point decrease in the number needing intervention in math, while emergent bilingual students saw a 16-percentage-point decrease.
- The achievement gap between White and Black students was reduced by 10 percentage points from a 41- to 31-percentage point disparity.
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In reading, Black students saw a 9-point decrease in intervention needs, while the gap between White and Hispanic students was reduced by 2 percentage points from 22 to 20-percentage points.
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“In my 21 years in schools, I’ve never seen this level of movement across all student groups,” said Dr. Mary Ann Maxwell, assistant superintendent of academics. “We’ve worked hard to transform the classroom experience in Austin ISD and I’m grateful for our educators and families for their work in making these gains possible.”
Austin ISD is also making steady progress toward its goal of eliminating “F” ratings across the district by 2029. After starting with 29 F-rated campuses in 2024, the district reduced that number to 23 in 2025 and is currently on track to reach 15 or fewer in 2026.
Current projections indicate that 17 of the 23 campuses are expected to see higher percentages of students scoring at the "Meets" level or above on 2026 STAAR assessments. Notable gains are projected for campuses such as Pecan Springs (10%), Widen (10%), and Houston (8%) elementary schools.
District leadership attributes these gains to the consistent use of High-Quality Instructional Materials and stronger training and coaching around those materials. By ensuring all students receive rigorous, grade-level content, the district is disrupting inequitable academic patterns. Other key strategies include: |
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Strengthened Professional Learning Communities: Instead of relying solely on high-level data, they meet regularly to plan lessons together and look closely at student work to see exactly how kids are learning.
- Targeted Support and Staffing: Giving stipends to educators at schools that need the most support, making it easier to hire and keep the strongest teachers where they’re needed most.
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Instructional Leadership: School leaders are spending more time in classrooms. They observed lessons more frequently and provided teachers with timely feedback and support to help them improve.
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These early results indicate smaller gaps between populations than the district has seen in previous years. District leaders will continue using this data to adjust planning and support for the remainder of the school year.
Students will begin state assessments in April, which will determine the campus ratings released in August. Additional data for end of year assessments will be presented to the Board of Trustees this summer. |
Austin ISD to Present TEA Targeted and Local Improvement Plans at February 26 Public Hearing |
Austin ISD will host a Board Public Hearing this month to present Targeted Improvement Plans and Local Improvement Plans as required by the Texas Education Agency. Austin ISD encourages parents, staff, and community members to attend and share their feedback. Public comment is a vital part of the district’s commitment to transparency and continuous improvement.
When: 5 p.m., February 26, 2026 Where: Austin ISD Board Room, 4000 South Interstate 35 Frontage Road How to Speak: Detailed instructions on signing up for public testimony can be found at: austinisd.org/board/meetings. |
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Congratulations to our talented students from Barbara Jordan and Sunset Valley Elementary School who attended the Texas Cheerleader Open State Championship on Feb. 7 in Salado. Barbara Jordan Elementary took home 1st place in the Medium Elementary School Division. Sunset Valley Elementary earned the title of Texas Cheerleader State Champions and punched their ticket to Nationals in April! Have a great weekend! JJ |
Have a story idea?
Got a great story about an Austin ISD student, staff, parent, or community member? Share it with us! It could be featured on our website, in our newsletters, on social media, or even on the news!
For questions or comments please email me at jorge.maldonado@austinisd.org |
For languages other than English and Spanish, we use an AI-powered translation tool. As a result, there may be some contextual inaccuracies or other errors. We apologize for this. Please email translation@austinisd.org if you are in need of clarification. To change your preferred correspondence language, contact your school's front office.
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