Superintendent Dan Troxell discussed Leander ISD’s growth and performance in academics, arts and athletics during the 2018 State of the District address, which was delivered March 21 at Hill Country Bible Church Austin.

Troxell said today’s students are the best he has ever known in his 30-year career in education.

“I feel blessed to work with them every day,” he said.

The superintendent talked about the successes from district students, including team wins in competitions for marching band, Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps, wrestling and robotics.

“Our kids perform exceedingly well,” he said.

Troxell also highlighted academic statistics, stating that the district’s four-year graduation rate for the class of 2016 was 97 percent, and it was 95 percent among economically disadvantaged students. He said LISD’s economically disadvantaged population makes up approximately 19 percent of the student body, compared to the state average of nearly 60 percent.

Advanced placement, or AP, exams were taken by 4,211 students in the 2016-17 school year, totaling $7.31 million in tuition savings, an estimate from the presentation based on if all AP students earning college credit attended the University of Texas. LISD made the AP District Honor Roll for the third year in a row, one of 457 districts with the designation in the U.S. and Canada.

In addition to AP courses, students have the opportunity to enroll in dual credit courses with Austin Community College. In the 2016-17 academic year, 1,296 students enrolled in dual credit courses, earning an average of 8.1 credit hours per student. Estimated tuition savings if all students passing the dual credit courses attended UT are $4.57 million, according to the presentation.

Troxell said LISD’s rapid growth in enrollment numbers means the district could eventually become the second largest school district in Central Texas, behind Austin ISD. LISD enrollment projections provided during the presentation indicate as many as 48,852 students could be enrolled by the 2026-27 school year. Enrollment increased by 1,068 students this year, bringing total enrollment to 39,010 students, according to the presentation.

Troxell spoke about the difference in growth rates throughout the district, saying that while areas in the northern portion of LISD’s boundaries and Four Points are experiencing fast growth, Cedar Park is not seeing regeneration of families. That means when children graduate from high school, their families are not leaving or being replaced by younger families. The most growth in Cedar Park is with older children, which occurs when older families move into the area, Troxell said.

To meet the needs of the student body, LISD has 5,037 employees, 2,801 of which are teachers, according to the presentation. The district created 138 new jobs this year.

Learn more about LISD with statistics and information from Community Impact Newspaper’s Annual Community Guide.