Community Impact reports that having begun in 2022, Conroe ISD’s virtual school has an uncertain future according to school officials, as funding for it expires this year following Governor Greg Abbot’s signing of a waiver in 2023.
When Deputy Superintendent Bethany Medford discussed with officials the A-F accountability ratings for 2024, the virtual school was among the CISD campuses discussed. A local calculation was done on the unofficial ratings and then verified by the Texas Education Agency.
Officials said that in the presentation the virtual school had gotten a D as it was considered under the high school label, even though the year before the school had received a B.
According to CISD’s Coordinator of Accountability, Data Analysis and Performance Reporting, Lauren Helfer, “The state determines what type of campus a school is defined as based on their grade span, and based on the grade span last year, they were grade four through nine. The state counted them as a K-12 campus.”
Helfer said, K-12 campuses were rated in the high school category, which is more of a challenge than if the school was seen as a middle school.
Fifth through eighth grades were in the virtual campus beginning in the 2022-23 academic year. Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funds of $1.5 million created it.
According to the website, for the 2024-25 school year, the school offers fifth through tenth grades. Each morning students log into their home room to check in, then they attend Zoom classes during the day.
In order to continue, Medford said the district is waiting on getting authorization from the state.
