TEMPLE, Texas — The Temple Independent School District welcomed students back to all 15 of its campuses for the first day of the 2024-2025 school year on Tuesday (August 20).
The district opened the doors to welcome 168 more students on the first day of classes in 2024 than on the opening day of classes last year as TISD continues to see growth. The number of enrolled students is expected to climb over the next two weeks as registration continues. That growth helped lead to the construction of Sampson-Howard Elementary School, which opened its doors to its first group of students on Tuesday. Sampson-Howard Elementary School is the first brand new campus to open in Temple ISD since 1998 and is the only elementary Fine Arts Academy in Central Texas.
In addition to the brand-new elementary school, students at several TISD schools returned to campuses featuring new furniture, new paint, and new roofs. The district also had armed security officers on every campus for the second straight school year and opened the school calendar with no teacher vacancies for the third straight year. Other new features on the first day of the 2024-2025 school year include: 11 fewer portables being used to house students than on the first day of last school year, construction that is underway on projects at Bonham Middle School, Scott Elementary School, Edwards Academy, and Wheatley Alternative Education Center. Construction on the competition field at Travis Science Academy, a joint project between Temple ISD and the City of Temple, is also nearing completion. School board members, community leaders, soldiers from several Adopt-A-School units and district administrators were also on hand to greet students at campuses throughout the district.
“On the first day of school, I was able to visit all 15 campuses and witness an unprecedented excitement shared between staff and students,” said Dr. Bobby Ott, superintendent of schools for Temple ISD. “Students were engaged, and teachers were welcoming. Our new school (Sampson-Howard Elementary) opened its doors like a pro, and this is in large part due to the campus staff, parent/community volunteers, and our partnership with the city of Temple. All hands worked together for a successful opening. Temple ISD also saw a climb of 168 students over day one last year, which is one of the largest day one spikes since I was hired in 2018. I am proud to report that TISD is growing in both student enrollment and excitement, which is a great place to be as a public school system.”