San Antonio Independent School District

School district in Texas, United States

San Antonio Independent School District

Address

514 W. Quincy St.

San Antonio, Texas

United States
Coordinates| 29°25′2.4″N 98°29′15.1″W﻿ / ﻿29.417333°N 98.487528°W﻿ / 29.417333; -98.487528
District information
Grades| PreK–12th grade
Established| May 2, 1899
Superintendent| Jaime Aquino
Governing agency| Texas Education Agency
Students and staff
Students| 44,710 (2021–22)[1]
Teachers| 3,134.79 (FTE) (2021–22)[1]
Staff| 3,702.35 (FTE) (2021–22)[1]
Student–teacher ratio| 14.26 (2021–22)[1]
Other information
Website| saisd.net

San Antonio Independent School District is a school district based in San Antonio, Texas, United States.[2]

San Antonio ISD ranks as the 13th largest of Texas' 1,057 school districts.[3] The District encompasses 79 square miles with a total population of 306,943 (2010 U.S. Census). San Antonio ISD serves the Downtown, Midtown, and inner city areas of the city of San Antonio and a small portion of the city of Balcones Heights. With over 48,720 students (as of 2018),[4] the district is the third largest school district in the Bexar County area.[5]

## Superintendents

[edit]

This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (September 2021)

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* 1875–?, C. Plagge
* 1919–1923, Annie Webb Blanton[6]
* 1946–1963, Thomas B. Portwood[7]
* 1994–1998, Diana Lam[8][9]
* 1998–1999, David F. Splitek (interim)
* 1999–2006, Rubén D. Olivárez
* 2006–2012, Robert Duron
* 2012–2015, Sylvester Perez (interim and permanent)[10]
* 2015–2021, Pedro Martinez[11]
* 2021–2022, Robert A. Jaklich (interim)[12]
* 2022–present, Jaime Aquino[13][14]

## Board of trustees

[edit]

2010-11 President, James Howard Vice-president, Carlos Villarreal Secretary, Thomas C. Lopez Asst. Secretary, Olga Hernandez Member, Ruben D. Cuero Member, Adela R. Segovia Member, Ed Garza

2011-12 President, James Howard Vice-president, Carlos Villarreal Secretary, Adela R. Segovia Asst. Secretary, Olga Hernandez Member, Ruben D. Cuero Member, Ed Garza Member, Patti Radle

2012-13 President, Ed Garza Vice-president, Ruben D. Cuero Secretary, Olga Hernandez Asst. Secretary, Adela R. Segovia Member, Debra Guerrero Member, James Howard Member, Patti Radle

2013-14 President, Ed Garza Vice-president, Olga Hernandez Secretary, Arthur V. Valdez Asst. Secretary, James Howard Member, Debra Guerrero Member, Steve Lecholop Member, Patti Radle

2019-20 President, Patti Radle Vice-president, Arthur V. Valdez Secretary, Debra Guerrero Asst. Secretary, Steve Lecholop Member, Alicia M. Perry Member, Christina Martinez Member, Ed Garza

2021-22 President, Christina Martinez Vice-president, Alicia Sebastian Secretary, Arthur V. Valdez Member, Sarah Sorensen Member, Leticia Ozuna Member, Patti Radle Member, Ed Garza

## History

[edit]

While San Antonio public schools were established by the City Council in 1854, it wasn't until May 2, 1899, that the school system became an independent district with the formation of its own board of trustees. San Antonio ISD received its first charter from the state of Texas in 1903.[3]

One of San Antonio's most outstanding assets is the preservation of its historic sites and neighborhoods, most of which are found within SAISD. All have strong, active neighborhood associations.

SAISD is the tenth-largest public employer in San Antonio, with more than 7,000 employees serving about 49,000 students. The District's resources consist of local, state, and federal revenue.[15]

Local revenue consists primarily of property taxes and also includes local grant donations. State revenue accounts for the District's largest share of revenue and is mainly driven by Average Daily Attendance (ADA) and the District's total property value. Federal revenue is a minor component of the operating budget but the major source of revenue for the Food Service Fund and is driven by the number of meals served and the number of students who qualify for the free- and reduced-price lunch program.[15]

The District was involved directly in the San Antonio Independent School District v. Rodriguez Supreme Court case, and indirectly in the United States v. Lopez Supreme Court case.

In the 2016–2017 school year, about 5,050 students went from SAISD to charter schools, and in the last part of the 2017–2018 school year that number increased to about 10,100, while about 200 students living in SAISD were in other school districts. For the 2018–2019 school year the district ended the employment of 132 teachers over budget cuts, and budget was reduced by 6%, totaling $31 million. By 2018, in a response to a decline in enrollment, the district repurposed several campuses as magnet schools or specialty schools to attract parents who would otherwise put their children in private school.[16]

In 2023 there was a proposal to close 19 schools.[17]

## Demographics

[edit]

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (October 2019)

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As of 2018[update], 91% of the students are considered low income. As of that year, people transferring from other school districts to SAISD tended to live in more upscale communities.[16]

## School uniforms

[edit]

All San Antonio ISD students are required to wear school uniforms. Students are required to wear white collared shirts and khaki bottoms. They are also permitted to wear polo shirts with their schools' colors.[18] The Texas Education Agency specifies that the parents and/or guardians of students zoned to a school with uniforms may apply for a waiver to opt out of the uniform policy so their children do not have to wear the uniform; parents must specify "bona fide" reasons, such as religious reasons or philosophical objections.[19]

## Schools

[edit]

### High schools

[edit]

Thomas Jefferson High School

* G.W. Brackenridge High School
* Brackenridge won the 1947 UIL state football championship, the last title before the UIL divided schools into classifications based on enrollment.[20]
* Luther Burbank High School
* Center for Applied Science & Technology (CAST Tech) High School
* The school, designed by H-E-B CEO Charles Butt and inspired by the High Tech High charter schools system, opened with the ninth grade in fall 2017. Its initial enrollment was 175.[21]
* Thomas Edison High School
* Fox Technical High School
* Highlands High School
* Sam Houston High School
* Thomas Jefferson High School
* Sidney Lanier High School
* Phoenix Middle College (10-12)
* St. Philip's Early College High School
* Travis Early College High School

### Middle schools

[edit]

* S.J. Davis Middle School
* Joel C. Harris Middle School
* Washington Irving Dual Language Academy
* Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Middle School
* James Russell Lowell Middle School
* Thomas Nelson Page Middle School
* Edgar Allan Poe Middle School
* Jerimiah Rhodes Middle School
* Harry H. Rogers Middle School
* Fidel L. Tafolla Middle School
* John Greenleaf Whittier Middle School

### Academies

[edit]

* Advanced Learning Academy at Fox Tech (PK-12)
* Charles Clyde Ball Academy (PK-7)
* Beacon Hill Academy (PK-7)
* James Bonham Academy (K-8)
* Bowden Academy - As per a 2016 bond it is scheduled to get a $11.1 million refurbishment. Brian Sparks, in 2018, served as principal at both Bowden and Lamar Elementary, and he was making efforts to improve Bowden's performance levels to that of Lamar's. As of 2018 a significant number of parents zoned to Bowden instead send their children to other schools, public and private. Most people residing in the area are of a lower socioeconomic strata although by 2018 gentrification of the area began. Aliyya Swaby and Alexa Ura of Texas Tribune, in 2018, described it as "drab and dimly lit" and that it "is still struggling".[16]
* Agnes Cotton Academy (PK-8)
* David Crockett Academy (PK-7)
* Frederick Douglass Academy (PK-7), formerly the Rincon School
* Marin B. Fenwick Academy (PK-7)
* Muriel Vance Forbes Academy (PK-7)
* Inez Foster Academy (PK-7)
* Robert B. Green Academy (K-8)
* Nathaniel Hawthorne Academy (K-8)
* Ferdinand Herff Academy (PK-7)
* Irving Dual Language Academy (PK-2)
* Eloise Japhet Academy (PK-7)
* Martin Luther King Jr. Academy (K-8)
* Antonio Margil Academy (PK-7)
* Mission Academy (PK-8)
* Ira C. Ogden Academy (PK-7)
* Laura Steele Montessori Academy (PK-8)
* Mark Twain Dual Language Academy (PK-3)
* Riverside Park Academy (PK-7)
* Will Rogers Academy (PK-7)
* Woodlawn Academy (K-8)
* Young Men's Leadership Academy (4-9)
* Young Women's Leadership Academy (6-12)
* YWLA was ranked #1 in Texas (2012-2013)[22]
* The school, as of December 2016 also ranked as exemplary by the Texas Education Agency, has a college readiness focus with an emphasis on science, technology, engineering and math.

### Elementary schools

[edit]

* Charles August Arnold Elementary School
* Barkley-Ruiz Elementary School
* Mildred Baskin Elementary School
* J.T. Brackenridge Elementary School
* Andrew Briscoe Elementary School
* Bella Cameron Elementary School
* Collins Garden Elementary School
* Lorenzo De Zavala Elementary School
* Frederick Douglass Elementary School
* Marin B. Fenwick Elementary School
* Benjamin Franklin Elementary School
* Samuel Houston Gates Elementary School
* Charles Graebner Elementary School
* Highland Hills Elementary School
* Highland Park Elementary School
* Hillcrest Elementary School
* Herman Hirsch Elementary School
* Mary Huppertz Elementary School
* George E. Kelly Elementary School
* Sarah King Elementary School
* Mirabeau B. Lamar Elementary School - As of 2018[update] the student body was majority Hispanic but the school's attendance area was experiencing gentrification. The school has a dual English-Spanish program. Sparks, also principal at Bowden Academy, served as principal of Lamar since circa 2013 That year Swaby and Ura stated that "Over the last five years, Sparks has made Lamar a winner with the help of an engaged corps of parents".[16]
* James Madison Elementary School
* Samuel A. Maverick Elementary School
* Dorie Miller Elementary School
* Elma A. Neal Elementary School
* John J. Pershing Elementary School
* Cleto L. Rodriguez Montessori Elementary School
* Kate Schenck Elementary School
* Smith Elementary School
* P.F. Stewart Elementary School
* Ollie Perry Storm Elementary School
* Booker T. Washington Elementary School
* Woodrow Wilson Elementary School
* Woodlawn Hills Elementary School

### Early childhood education centers

[edit]

* Henry Carroll Early Childhood Education Center
* Esther Perez Carvajal Early Childhood Education Center
* Rafael Gonzales Early Childhood Education Center
* Wilbur J. Knox Early Childhood Education Center
* Pauline Nelson Early Childhood Education Center
* Elizabeth Tynan Early Childhood Education Center

### Special campuses

[edit]

* Cooper Academy at Navarro (9-12)
* Estrada Alternative Center (7-12)
* Brewer Academy (6-12)

## See also

[edit]

* Texas portal
* Schools portal

* List of school districts in Texas

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d "Search for Public School Districts - District Detail for San Antonio ISD". National Center for Education Statistics. Institute of Education Sciences. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
2. ^ "Contact Us". San Antonio Independent School District. Retrieved on March 28, 2010.
3. ^ a b "History and Community - SAISD". www.saisd.net. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
4. ^ "San Antonio ISD". Texas Public Schools. December 8, 2015. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
5. ^ "San Antonio ISD - I Am SAISD". San Antonio ISD. Archived from the original on June 12, 2011.
6. ^ Cottrell, Debbie Mauldin (1976). "Annie Webb Blanton: Pioneer Educator and Suffragist in Texas". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved August 8, 2025.
7. ^ "Portwood Jr. High School dedication". Express-News. April 2, 1967. p. 28. Retrieved August 8, 2025 - via Newspapers.com.
8. ^ White, Kerry A. (November 25, 1998). "Frustrated San Antonio Superintendent Calls It Quits". Education Week. ISSN 0277-4232. Retrieved August 8, 2025.
9. ^ Lewin, Tamar (August 31, 2002). "Educator Has Accomplishments and Enemies (Published 2002)". The New York Times. Retrieved August 8, 2025.
10. ^ Malik, Alia. "Sylvester Perez, late of SAISD, is state's choice to run Edgewood ISD". San Antonio Express-News. Archived from the original on July 28, 2025. Retrieved August 8, 2025.
11. ^ Crum, Brooke (September 21, 2021). "SAISD board says goodbye to Superintendent Pedro Martinez". San Antonio Report.
12. ^ "San Antonio ISD board names Dr. Robert Jaklich interim superintendent". KABB. September 21, 2021. Retrieved August 8, 2025.
13. ^ Ibarra, Daniela; Latigo, Eddie; Saunders, Joshua (October 15, 2024). "SAISD attorneys fight record release tied to superintendent's personal development coach". KSAT. Retrieved August 8, 2025.
14. ^ Garcia, Xochilt (May 19, 2025). "State places SAISD under a 'corrective action plan'". San Antonio Report. Retrieved August 8, 2025.
15. ^ a b "District Financials - SAISD". www.saisd.net. Retrieved October 7, 2020.
16. ^ a b c d Swaby, Aliyya; Ura, Alexa (December 6, 2018). "In San Antonio, school integration may not lift all boats". The Hechinger Report. Texas Tribune. Retrieved October 30, 2019. \- Also at KABB (Fox San Antonio) as "SAISD is innovating to integrate its schools. Is it leaving some behind in the process" (December 4, 2018)
17. ^ Huddleston, Scott (September 19, 2023). "SAISD proposes 19 school closures under sweeping 'rightsize' recommendation". San Antonio Express-News. Retrieved October 29, 2024.
18. ^ "School Uniform Shopping Guide". San Antonio Independent School District. Archived from the original on July 9, 2006. Retrieved May 4, 2009.
19. ^ "Docket No. 008-R5-901". Texas Education Agency. Archived from the original on October 11, 2006. Retrieved October 13, 2008.
20. ^ Dave Campbell's Texas Football, 2008 edition, page 362
21. ^ McNeel, Bekah (July 16, 2018). "Supply and demand: Getting low-income kids into better jobs by getting them into better schools". The Hechinger Report. Retrieved October 31, 2019.
22. ^ "Young Women's Leadership Academy of San Antonio Ranked #1 Middle School in Texas - KXXV-TV News Channel 25 - Central Texas News and Weather for Waco, Temple, Killeen |". Archived from the original on June 19, 2013. Retrieved June 16, 2013.

## External links

[edit]

* Official website

* v
* t
* e

City of San Antonio

Nickname: Alamo City

Topics|

* Architecture
* Culture
* History
* Neighborhoods
* Metropolitan Area
* San Antonio River (Springs)

Attractions|

* The Alamo
* Alamo Cenotaph
* Acequia Madre de Valero
* La Antorcha de la Amistad
* Basilica of the National Shrine of the Little Flower
* Cathedral of San Fernando
* Convention Center
* Earl Abel's
* Guenther House
* HemisFair '68
* Houston Street
* La Villita
* Market Square
* Rivercenter
* River Walk
* St. Joseph Catholic Church
* Tower of the Americas
* Tower Life Building
* San Antonio Zoo

Museums|

* Artpace
* Blue Star Contemporary Art Museum
* Buckhorn Saloon & Museum
* Casa Navarro State Historic Site
* Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center
* Institute of Texan Cultures
* McNay Art Museum
* Museo Alameda
* Museum of Aerospace Medicine
* O. Henry House Museum
* Ruby City
* San Antonio Museum of Art
* Spanish Governor's Palace
* Edward Steves Homestead
* Texas Air Museum
* Texas Transportation Museum
* United States Army Medical Department Museum
* USAF Airman Heritage Museum
* Witte Museum
* Yturri-Edmunds Historic Site

See also: List of museums in Central Texas

Entertainment|

* Alamo City Comic Con
* Arneson River Theater
* Aztec on the River
* Charline McCombs Empire Theatre
* Fiesta Noche del Rio
* Fiesta San Antonio
* Freeman Coliseum
* Majestic Theatre
* Morgan's Wonderland
* Ripley's Believe It or Not!
* San Japan
* Santikos Theatres
* SeaWorld San Antonio
* Six Flags Fiesta Texas
* Splashtown San Antonio
* St. Mary's Strip
* Texas Folklife Festival
* Tobin Center for the Performing Arts (San Antonio Symphony)
* San Antonio Municipal Auditorium
* Woodlawn Theatre

Industry|

* Bill Miller Bar-B-Q Enterprises
* Christus Santa Rosa
* iHeartMedia
* Frost Bank
* H-E-B
* Jim's Restaurants
* Luby's
* M7 Aerospace
* NewTek
* NuStar Energy
* Rackspace
* San Antonio Express-News
* SAS Shoemakers (SAS)
* San Antonio Water System
* Security Service Federal Credit Union
* Taco Cabana
* Toyota Motor Manufacturing Texas
* USAA
* Valero Energy
* Visionworks of America
* Whataburger

Research
and education|

* The Alamo Colleges
* Baptist Health System School of Health Professions
* Cancer Therapy & Research Center
* Greehey Children's Cancer Research Institute
* Oblate School of Theology
* Our Lady of the Lake University
* San Antonio Public Library
* San Antonio Municipal Archives
* South Texas Medical Center
* Texas Biomedical Research Institute
* Southwest Research Institute
* St. Mary's University
* Texas A&M University–San Antonio
* Texas Neurosciences Institute
* Trinity University
* University Health System
* University of the Incarnate Word
* University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
* University of Texas at San Antonio

Military|

* San Antonio Military Medical Center
* Brooks City-Base
* Camp Bullis
* Fort Sam Houston
* Lackland Air Force Base
* Pershing House
* Randolph Air Force Base
* Wilford Hall Ambulatory Surgical Center

Neighborhoods|

* Alamo Heights
* Alazán-Apache Courts
* Brooks
* Dominion
* Downtown
* Inwood
* La Cantera
* Mahncke Park
* Monte Vista
* Pearl
* Pecan Valley
* Stone Oak
* Thompson Field

Parks|

* Acequia
* San Antonio Botanical Garden
* Brackenridge Park
* Denman Estate Park
* Dwight D. Eisenhower Park
* Friedrich Wilderness Park
* Government Canyon State Natural Area
* Phil Hardberger Park
* Mahncke
* Milam Park
* Miraflores Park
* Roosevelt Park
* San Antonio Japanese Tea Garden
* San Antonio Missions National Historical Park
* San Pedro Springs Park
* O. P. Schnabel Park
* Travis Park

Sports|

* Alamodome (San Antonio Brahmas, UTSA Roadrunners football)
* Frost Bank Center (San Antonio Spurs)
* Gayle and Tom Benson Stadium (Incarnate Word Cardinals football)
* Nelson W. Wolff Municipal Stadium (San Antonio Missions)
* Toyota Field (San Antonio FC)
* Freeman Coliseum
* San Antonio Stock Show & Rodeo

Transportation|

* San Antonio International Airport
* Amtrak Station
* VIA Metropolitan Transit

Other|

* Mayor
* San Antonio Fire Department
* San Antonio Police Department

* Bexar County
* San Antonio–New Braunfels Metro

* v
* t
* e

Education in Bexar County, Texas

Public high schools

Alamo Heights ISD|

* Alamo Heights High

East Central ISD|

* East Central High
* Bexar County Learning Center

Edgewood ISD|

* John F. Kennedy
* Memorial

Fort Sam Houston ISD|

* Robert G. Cole

Harlandale ISD|

* Harlandale HS
* McCollum HS
* Frank M. Tejeda Academy

Judson ISD|

* Judson HS
* Wagner HS
* Veterans Memorial HS

Lackland ISD|

* Virginia Allred Stacey

North East ISD|

* See template

Northside ISD|

* See template
* Currently all NISD high schools are in Bexar County

Randolph Field ISD|

* Randolph High

San Antonio ISD|

* See template

South San Antonio ISD|

* South San Antonio High

Southside ISD|

* Southside High

Southwest ISD|

* Southwest High
* Southwest Legacy High

Somerset ISD|

* Somerset High

Charter high schools|

* Anne Frank Inspire Academy

Independent schools

Secular private
high schools|

* Keystone School
* San Antonio Academy

Religious private
high schools|

* Antonian College Preparatory HS
* Atonement Academy
* Central Catholic Marianist HS
* The Christian School at Castle Hills
* Holy Cross of SA
* Incarnate Word HS
* Lutheran HS of SA
* Providence HS
* San Antonio Christian
* St. Anthony Catholic HS
* Saint Mary's Hall
* TMI Episcopal

| Closed|

* St. Francis Academy
* St. Gerard Catholic HS

|

Tertiary schools

Four year universities|

* University of Texas at San Antonio
* template
* Our Lady of the Lake University
* University of the Incarnate Word
* Trinity University
* Texas A&M University-San Antonio

Community colleges|

* Alamo Colleges District
* template

Libraries

Public|

* San Antonio Public Library
* Alamo Area Library System (support service)

Boerne ISD, Comal ISD, Medina Valley ISD, and Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City ISD serve portions of Bexar County but they do not operate high schools there.

* v
* t
* e

School districts in Texas served by Region 20 Education Service Center

Atascosa County|

* Charlotte ISD
* Jourdanton ISD
* Karnes City ISD
* Lytle ISD
* Pleasanton ISD
* Poteet ISD
* Somerset ISD

Bandera County|

* Bandera ISD
* Medina ISD
* Northside ISD
* Utopia ISD

Bexar County|

* Alamo Heights ISD
* Boerne ISD
* Comal ISD
* East Central ISD
* Edgewood ISD
* Floresville ISD
* Fort Sam Houston ISD
* Harlandale ISD
* Judson ISD
* Lackland ISD
* Medina Valley ISD
* North East ISD
* Northside ISD
* Randolph Field ISD
* San Antonio ISD
* Schertz-Cibolo Universal City ISD
* Somerset ISD
* South San Antonio ISD
* Southside ISD
* Southwest ISD

Comal County|

* Boerne ISD
* Comal ISD
* New Braunfels ISD
* One other district is in ESC 13

Dimmit County|

* Carrizo Springs CISD

| Consolidated|

* Asherton ISD

|

Frio County|

* Charlotte ISD
* Devine ISD
* Dilley ISD
* Hondo ISD
* Pearsall ISD

Guadalupe County|

* Comal ISD
* La Vernia ISD
* Marion ISD
* Navarro ISD
* New Braunfels ISD
* Schertz-Cibolo Universal City ISD
* Seguin ISD
* Other districts are in ESC 13

Karnes County|

* Falls City ISD
* Karnes City ISD
* Other districts are in ESC 2, ESC 3, and ESC 13

Kendall County|

* Boerne ISD
* Comal ISD
* Other districts are in ESC 13

Kerr County|

* Center Point ISD
* Divide ISD
* Hunt ISD
* Ingram ISD
* Kerrville ISD
* Medina ISD
* Other districts are in ESC 13

Kinney County|

* Brackett ISD

La Salle County|

* Cotulla ISD
* Dilley ISD

Maverick County|

* Eagle Pass ISD

Medina County|

* D'Hanis ISD
* Devine ISD
* Hondo ISD
* Lytle ISD
* Medina Valley ISD
* Natalia ISD
* Northside ISD
* Utopia ISD

Real County|

* Leakey ISD
* Utopia ISD
* Uvalde CISD
* One other district is in ESC 15

Uvalde County|

* Knippa ISD
* Leakey ISD
* Sabinal ISD
* Utopia ISD
* Uvalde CISD
* One other district is in ESC 15

Wilson County|

* Falls City ISD
* Floresville ISD
* La Vernia
* Poth ISD
* Stockdale ISD
* One other district is in ESC 13

Zavala County|

* Crystal City ISD
* La Pryor ISD
* Uvalde CISD

This list is incomplete

Authority control databases

International|

* VIAF

National|

* United States

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template