After nearly three years of work to improve special education services, the Austin Independent School District (Austin ISD) has completed all requirements under its Special Education Agreed Order with the Texas Education Agency (TEA) and has been released from state oversight.
Superintendent Matias Segura commented on the district’s efforts: “By elevating the quality of our evaluations and the integrity of our service delivery, we have turned a period of intense work into a profound opportunity to grow and deepen our commitment to the families we serve.”
As part of its transformation, Austin ISD conducted more than 10,000 evaluations and meetings to ensure timely support for students. The district set clear standards across all campuses so that students receive consistent experiences regardless of their school. A districtwide support plan was developed to provide each child with appropriate assistance at the right time, whether through classroom instruction or personalized support. The special education team expanded by over 250 specialized providers and evaluators, who received 120,000 hours of professional learning. A new digital management platform was introduced for accurate reporting on student services. Additionally, more than 100 family engagement sessions were held to build trust and keep families informed.
The changes aimed to help students with disabilities achieve strong academic outcomes. According to recent data, third-grade students with disabilities outperformed the state average in reading by three percentage points on the 2024–25 STAAR assessment. In second grade reading and numeracy, there were double-digit decreases in students needing academic interventions. First-grade data showed fewer students flagged as at-risk for dyslexia.
Superintendent Segura emphasized that completing the order is not an endpoint: “This systemwide approach to high standards of practice has given a powerful foundation. Our next chapter is dedicated to deepening inclusive practices and ensuring that every student receiving special education services has access to high-quality, specialized instruction aligned to grade-level standards.”
Austin ISD serves more than 72,000 students across 116 school communities—including elementary, middle, high schools as well as early college and magnet programs—and employs over 5,000 classroom teachers (official website). The district supports a multicultural environment where over 100 languages are spoken (official website), provides instruction in multiple languages besides English (official website), maintains a graduation rate above 93 percent (official website), and partners with families and the community for student success in college and careers (official website).
