Trustees Decide Locations for New Single-gender Middle Schools

Garcia to serve male students, Pearce to serve female students

AUSTIN, Texas—Tonight, Austin ISD’s Board of Trustees approved Gus Garcia Middle School as the site for the Young Men’s Leadership Academy and James E. Pearce Middle School as the site for the Young Women’s Leadership Academy.

In January, the board voted to combine the Gus Garcia and James E. Pearce middle school attendance areas to facilitate the design of two single-gender middle schools in District 1 for the 2014-15 school year.

Both schools will support the program needs identified in the annual academic and facility recommendation, which include:

  • a college preparatory curriculum with high school credits, integrated 21st century technology and leadership electives;
  • support for scholars such as advisory, AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) and summer academies;
  • a college-bound culture involving project-based learning, pre-AP strategies, targeted professional development and planning that include gender-specific strategies and uniform dress;
  • family engagement, including a family/scholar/school compact.

For more on the Young Men’s Leadership Academy at Gus Garcia Middle School, please visit the school’s website. To learn more about the Young Women’s Leadership Academy at James E. Pearce Middle School, please visit the school’s website.