Round Rock ISD officials are hosting several meetings to help students apply to be part of the first class of the district’s new early college high school—set to open this fall—and to spread the word about a new middle school being constructed on Pearson Ranch Road.

Three information sessions at district middle schools will help guide eighth-grade students and their parents through the early college high school application process.

Students accepted into the school have the ability to graduate high school with a traditional diploma and 60 hours of college credit, which is equivalent to an Associate of Arts degree.

RRISD plans to open the school in partnership with Austin Community College, for the 2016-2017 school year, pending approval from the Texas Education Agency.

The following information sessions will be held from 6-7 p.m.:

·      Chisholm Trail Middle School, 500 Oakridge, Round Rock: April 5

·      Grisham Middle School, 10805 School House Lane, Austin: April 6

·      Hopewell Middle School, 1535 Gulf Way, Round Rock: April 7.

The district’s Construction and Community Relations teams will host a community meeting for the Brushy Creek and Avery Ranch neighborhoods about the construction of RRISD’s 11th middle school. The meeting will be held April 5 at 7 p.m. at Brushy Creek MUD, 16318 Great Oaks Drive, Round Rock, and it will include a presentation and an opportunity for questions.

Middle School No. 11 is scheduled to open in August 2017, next to Elsa England Elementary School. The school aims to alleviate overcrowding at Walsh and Cedar Valley middle schools, although the RRISD board of trustees has not yet decided on an official attendance zone for the new school.

Trustees voted to approve a $34.2 million construction contract to Bartlett Cocke General Contractors for the project in November. Voters approved $49.8 million for construction of the school in the 2014 bond election.