Awards & Honors

2009 Highlights

• Almost half of our schools are rated “Exemplary or “Recognized.” This includes the three new campuses on SAISD’s roster, as well as one of our traditional high schools. To view a full list click here.
o Young Women’s Academy – Exemplary campus
o Travis Early College High School – Exemplary campus
o Mission Academy – Exemplary campus
o Fox Tech High School – Recognized campus

• The 2009 state accountability report showed that the District’s students maintained their Exemplary performance in writing, and at the Recognized level in reading and social studies.

• Two SAISD campuses - Baskin and Briscoe Academies -- are among only five in Bexar County selected for inclusion on the Texas Business & Education Coalition's 2009 Honor Roll, which recognizes academic performance.

• Arnold Elementary placed second on a list of the Top Five Elementary Schools in Bexar and surrounding counties for 2009. The ranking was compiled by the Houston-based advocacy group Children at Risk.

• For the fourth consecutive year, Burbank made “America’s Top Public High Schools” list compiled by Newsweek magazine for 2009.

• More than $40 million in scholarships was awarded to the class of 2009. Members of the class of 2009 have been accepted at some of the best colleges and universities in the country – including UT, Texas A&M, Harvard, Yale and Dartmouth.

• SAISD has seen success with our Cooper Drop-Out Recovery Academy (former Cooper Middle School) opened last year, bringing new hope to more than 100 students who returned to continue their education, 43 of whom have since graduated.

• SAISD ranks 7th on a list of large city school systems experiencing gains in student achievement. The study, conducted by The Brown Center on Education Policy at the Brookings Institution in Washington D.C., found that SAISD was among 10 urban districts experiencing greater improvement on standardized test than others in their respective states.

• Joining the District’s acclaimed Early Childhood Program this year is the federally-funded Head Start program. Head Start provides a firm academic foundation offering a full day of instruction by degreed teachers in research-based early childhood curriculum and bilingual classes for non-English speakers. Additional services include free school supplies, transportation from the child’s home campus, extended daycare, and medical, dental and family services.

• Over the past two years, SAISD reduced costs across the District, achieving savings of more than $26 million, and enters the 2009-10 school year with an additional estimated $10M in annual savings. As a result, we are able to make significant investments in the classroom to include additional staffing for fine arts, stipends for highly sought-after math and science teachers, and a new technology “refresh” program to keep the newest and most relevant equipment in our schools.