The Austin Independent School District announced on March 13 that it is proposing an Additional Days School Year (ADSY) calendar for a pilot group of campuses for the 2026–27 school year. The proposal aims to add instructional opportunities over the summer and on select Saturdays at no cost to families, with implementation planned at Mendez Middle School and eight campuses with Turnaround Plans: Linder Elementary, Pecan Springs Elementary, Sanchez Elementary, Wooldridge Elementary, Burnet Middle School, Dobie Middle School, Mendez Middle School, Paredes Middle School, and Webb Middle School.
The initiative is significant as ADSY is a state funding model designed to support additional instructional days beyond the minimum requirement of 175 days. The goal is to help reduce summer learning loss and extend learning time for students. The plan is structured to be cost-neutral for the district and could potentially generate revenue depending on participation and eligible funding.
Under the proposed ADSY calendar, participating campuses would have the same first and last day of school as other district schools. However, there are key differences: students at ADSY campuses would attend half-days of learning on six days when other schools might have student holidays; those needing accelerated instruction would be invited to monthly Saturday sessions; and all students would have the option to attend a 19-day summer program in July and August. During the summer component, transportation and meals would be provided by Austin ISD. For Saturday sessions, snacks would be available but not transportation or full meals.
The Austin Independent School District supports a multicultural environment with over 100 languages spoken by students according to the official website. The district operates 116 diverse school communities—including elementary, middle, high schools as well as early college programs—serving more than 72,000 students with over 5,000 classroom teachers according to the official website. Austin ISD maintains a graduation rate of 93.3 percent and exceeds state averages on SAT and ACT scores according to the official website.
The Board is scheduled to discuss and vote on the proposed calendars at its March 26 Board Voting Meeting. The district focuses on partnering with families and community members to equip students for success in college, career, and life according to the official website.
If approved by the board later this month, observers may expect further updates regarding implementation details for participating campuses.