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Presidio ISD holds TAPR public hearing as district grapples with influx of newcomer students
Summary
At a Feb. 18 public hearing, Presidio ISD officials presented the 2024–25 Texas Academic Performance Reports, attributing recent declines in some STAAR results to a sharp rise in emerging bilingual and newcomer students and to changes in STAAR 2.0 and TEKS. The board heard strategies for recovery and growth.
At a Feb. 18 public hearing, Presidio ISD officials presented the district’s 2024–25 Texas Academic Performance Reports (TAPR), saying attendance trends were improving but academic results showed mixed outcomes amid a growing population of emerging bilingual and newcomer students.
Presenters noted the district’s emerging bilingual population rose from about 49.4% to 62.4% between 2022 and 2023 and cautioned that year‑to‑year comparisons are complicated by implementation of STAAR 2.0 and new TEKS. The report for Presidio High School showed declines in some End‑of‑Course (EOC) measures, which staff attributed in part to the larger newcomer cohort; presenters said recovery from the 2023 performance dip could take “2–3 years.”
District staff described specific campus trends: Lucy Rede Franco Middle School saw enrollment and EB share increase (approaching 80% EB), with attendance moving toward a 97% goal and chronic absenteeism declining. Presidio Elementary showed a small gain at the 'Approaches' level in ELA (52% → 55%) but declines in 'Meets' and 'Masters' and a notable fall in science 'Masters' to 0% in 2025; staff cited three years of teacher turnover in some subjects and many newcomer students who lack literacy development in their native language.
Board members and administrators emphasized targeted interventions: delaying English I for some newcomers while providing intensive language acquisition supports; back‑to‑back ESL/ESOL classes; data disaggregation by TEKS; and teacher professional learning. The district also proposed EOC boot camps, expanded newcomer programming and ongoing teacher training to raise the number of students achieving 'Meets' and 'Masters' levels.
No board action was required; the hearing was informational under state law. The district plans to monitor interim assessments and report progress to the board in coming months.
