Bartlett ISD
The Bartlett Independent School District believes each student to be a unique individual with the potential to develop a high degree of physical, moral and social accountability.
Independent School Districts
The state of Texas is divided up into Independent School Districts (ISDs). Williamson Country has 15 independent school districts and over 170 schools. These ISDs operate independently from the state, county, or any other municipality. In Williamson County, each district has it's own taxing authority outside of control form governmental entities. The map below shows the locations of each district. Note that Burnet Consolidated, Thorndale, Bartlett and Lexington ISDs have a portion of their district located within Williamson County, even though their primary area is located in other counties. Districts such as Leander, Round Rock and Coupland all have a portion of their schools in Travis County to the south.
Rating Definitions:
The State of Texas has adopted rules to evaluate the performance of school districts and individual campuses and to assign each district and school a performance rating. According to the TEA Website, "TEA accredits public schools in Texas at the district level for grades K-12. The Accreditation Status, Standards, and Sanctions section of the Texas Administrative Code (TAC) states how accreditation statuses will be determined and assigned to school districts. Those statuses are defined as Accredited, Accredited-Warned, Accredited-Probation, and Not Accredited-Revoked. The TAC rules also establish accreditation standards and sanctions, including definitions, purpose and oversight appointments."
Texas graduation rates top the charts
AUSTIN – Texas tied for the third highest high school graduation rate in the country for all students and ranks number one in graduation rates for Asian and white students, according to preliminary data released by the U.S. Department of Education. “This state-by-state comparison confirms what Texas educators have been saying for a long time. Our public schools are delivering a high quality education and our students are having great success,” said Texas Commissioner of Education Michael L. Williams. This marks the first time all states have used a uniform method for calculating graduation rates.
Charter Schools
In recent years the idea charter schools has been a hot topic. According to the Texas Charter Schools Association, " Public charter schools were created by the state in 1995 to have the flexibility to adapt to the educational needs of individual students and encourage more innovation in education. Public charter schools are free, public options for families to choose to send their student. There is the same academic and financial accountability as traditional school districts. There is no cost to attend. There is no requirement or test for enrollment." Williamson County is home to five college preparatory or special mission charter schools. Harmony School of Political Science And Communication, Meridian World School, Founders Classical Academy of Leander, Gateway College Preparatory School, and Leander Charter Academy.
Higher Education
Williamson County is home to 5 colleges and universities; these higher ecucation centers see the growth coming to and the need that already exists in Williamson County, and have made education a priority for Williamson County residents.
Austin Community College (ACC) has two locations in the WC (Cypress Creek Campus in Cedar Park, and the Round Rock Campus.) Texas State University has two building focusing on teaching, nursing, and business management in Round Rock. Texas A&M has their Heath Science Center College of Medicine next door to Texas State University - Round Rock. Texas A&M has locations in both the Hutto and Taylor East Williamson County Higher Education Centers. Temple Junior College holds classes in the East Williamson County Higher Education Center - Hutto Campus. South University has also opened a campus in south central Williamson County. As the county continues to grow expect more colleges to call the WC their home.
Williamson County is located within an hour of the University of Texas at Austin, Concordia University, St. Edwards University, Houston-Tillotson University, The Art Institute of Austin, ITT Technical Institute, and 9 other ACC campuses.
