On Oct. 19, the principals of San Marcos High School and Mendez Elementary School presented targeted improvement plans to the San Marcos CISD board of trustees.
The plans are aimed at increasing graduation rates at the high school and raising the elementary school’s rating from the Texas Education Agency, or TEA.
The overview
In 2022, San Marcos High School had a graduation rate of 39.2%, said Principal Eileen Grose. The rate rose to 83.8% in 2023. The campus is working toward a rate of 90.5% to 95% by spring 2027.
The campus currently provides transcript and credit audits, conducted by counselors and administrators.
Students are supported with senior progress monitoring, supervised credit recovery programs, individual graduation committees and no-show and leaver outreach, according to agenda documents.
The school will implement six action steps to help raise the overall graduation rate, including:
Updating the graduation tracker
Assigning off-track students a staff contact and recovery plan
Contacting students and families to adjust the plans
Matching interventions to barriers, including accommodations
Reconciling records and reviewing graduation requirements
Validating Provider Enrollment and Management System, or PEMS, data
“Every student deserves a clear path to graduation and an adult who helps them follow it,” Grose said.
One more thing
Mendez Elementary School received a 63, or 'D,' rating from the TEA in the 2026 A-F Accountability Scores. The rating marks a 26-point, two-letter-grade decrease from the school’s overall score of 89 in 2025, according to the TEA.
The school is working to reach an overall 'C' or higher rating by 2027 while closing achievement gaps, according to agenda documents.
“Behind every number, you'll see our children and families who are counting on us and a staff that is committed to meeting that responsibility every single day,” said Principal Suzanne Perkins.
The campus is targeting STAAR testing scores for improvement through specific growth goals, according to agenda documents, including:
Improve Reading/Language Arts STAAR scores from 36% meets to 50% meets grade level
Improve Math STAAR scores from 41% meets to 55% meets grade level
Improve Reading/Language Arts STAAR growth from 58% to 69%
Improve Math STAAR growth from 57% to 66%
Campus teams have dedicated weekly time to review student data and plan and align instruction across classrooms and grade levels through Professional Learning Communities. The school will also implement weekly administrative check-ins to provide an overall weekly outlook.
School staff in the Math, English/Language Arts and Science departments will hold monthly vertical planning meetings to ensure students' progress and difficulty are consistent across grade levels.
Every six to eight weeks, the school will conduct Multi-Tiered Systems of Support reviews to ensure students receiving intervention get the help they need, according to agenda documents.
The school implemented a variety of other techniques to target the three components of its TEA accountability rating.
“We know the work ahead of us is significant, but I believe in our students, and our teachers and our community,” Perkins said. “With focused instruction, close progress monitoring of our data and the continued support of this board and our district, I'm confident that Mendez will show the growth our students deserve.”
