TEA approves new charter high school in Houston

A newly approved charter high school is set to open in southwest Houston for the 2026-27 school year following authorization from the Texas Education Agency.

Arcadia High School is one of four new charter schools opening in Texas, according to a June 27 news release. Located off Beechnut Street, the new public high school will serve Alief and surrounding areas, including Fort Bend, Stafford and Houston Independent School Districts with a focus on closing the achievement gaps in the community, according to the school’s TEA application.

Under the direction of its proposed Superintendent Mohamad Maarouf, the high school will have a team-based teaching model with classes taught in two-hour blocks, split with electives or extracurricular activities.

The State Board of Education approved the new charter schools in June from its Generation 30 program based on recommendations from TEA Commissioner of Education Mike Morath. Schools selected went through the state’s application process to ensure high standards were met in order to serve as high-quality public schools for the communities they serve, according to the TEA.

Breaking it down

Charter schools have drawn out thousands of students from public school districts all over the Greater Houston area in the 2024-25 school year, with Houston ISD and Alief ISD taking the biggest enrollment losses, as previously reported in Community Impact.

Based on the 28 Greater Houston area school districts, TEA identified those with the highest percentages for net student transfers as a portion of total enrollment. For the 2024-25 school year, TEA found the highest percentages among the following districts:

• HISD with 33% of students transferring out
• Alief ISD with 25% of students transferring out

Net transfers account for both students transferring into and out of a school district.

Zooming out

The Texas Legislature authorized its first charter school in 1995.

Rachel Leland contributed to this report.