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Mendez Middle reports higher attendance, fewer suspensions and strong MAP gains as school prepares to add sixth grade
Summary
Mendez Middle School presenters told Austin Independent School District trustees that average daily attendance rose to 85%, suspensions fell from 329 to 124, and students averaged 2.95 years of MAP growth; the campus also plans to add sixth grade next year and is hiring staff.
Mendez Middle School campus leaders reported to Austin Independent School District trustees that the campus ended the school year with improved attendance, a steep reduction in suspensions and strong interim assessment gains, and said the campus will add sixth grade next year.
Jeremiah Willis, campus principal, told trustees the schools average daily attendance rose to 85% at years end, up five percentage points from about 80% at the same time the prior year. Willis said the campus recorded 329 suspensions or incidents at that point the previous year and closed this year with 124, a decrease of 205.
Willis said students showed notable academic growth on the Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) assessment. "Our students did extremely well this year. On average, our students grew by 2.95 years worth of growth in 1 academic school year," he said. He added that 67% of seventh- and eighth-graders grew more than 1.7 years, and described the districts three-times-per-year MAP schedule (August baseline, December interim, May summative) used to measure that growth.
The presenters also described teacher observations conducted by a Third Future Schools system review team. Willis said the independent observers awarded teachers an average score of 7.4 out of 10, which the presentation described as leading to 100% proficiency; the presenters noted Mendez was the first campus in that network to reach 100% proficiency.
Elizabeth Miranda Ramirez, identified as the incoming principal, said the campus closed the year with several student events — including an eighth-grade awards ceremony, a band concert and fall and spring athletics — and highlighted extracurricular offerings such as cooking, art, photography and mixed martial arts programming. She said 26 eighth-graders became eligible for a travel opportunity to Munich, Germany, and the presenters shared photos and videos from the trip in supplemental materials provided via a hyperlink.
Miranda Ramirez and Willis said the campus is preparing to add sixth grade for the 2025-26 school year and is actively hiring. They described internal staffing changes: some support staff are moving into teaching roles, teacher leaders are being promoted to assistant principals, and some teachers will relocate to other schools within the Third Future Schools network. Miranda Ramirez said, "Nobody left this year," describing staff turnover as minimal.
The presenters named Sisston Marie Lipsey as the incoming assistant principal. Willis and Miranda Ramirez invited trustees to review additional information in the linked Google Drive containing photos and videos of the year's activities.
The presentation covered enrollment and demographic breakdowns for seventh and eighth grades, special populations and ethnicity groups; the presenters did not provide dollar amounts for budgets or specific hiring salary details during the report.
Trustees did not take a formal vote during this presentation; it was provided as an informational end-of-year report and preview of grade-span changes and staffing ahead of the next academic year.
