Frank Liu Jr. Academy for Music and Arts and Arcadia High School will enter the contingency period with TEA before contracts are finalized.
HOUSTON — Houston is getting two new Generation 30 charter schools, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) announced on Friday.
A total of four applicants statewide were approved following the State Board of Education’s (SBOE) vote on recommendations from Commissioner of Education Mike Morath.
The following Generation 30 charter school applicants are slated to begin serving Texas public school students for the 2026-2027 school year, pending contract approval and the reconciliation of any final contingencies:
- Arcadia High School (Houston)
- Frank Liu Jr. Academy for Music and Arts (Houston)
- Fort Worth STEAM Academy (Fort Worth)
- The Museum School of East Dallas (Dallas)
The SBOE vetoed the granting of charters to Unidos Soccer Leadership Academy in San Antonio and Valenta Academy in Bastrop.
The approved applications will enter the contingency period with TEA before contracts are finalized. They may also be required to meet additional contingencies, including but not limited to:
- Assurances of curriculum alignment to the state standards (Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills or TEKS)
- Clarification of policies and board bylaws and revisions to school budgets
Once finalized, these non-profit public school systems will be ready to serve Texas students.
Under state law, the Commissioner of Education is responsible for recommending new open-enrollment charters to the SBOE. The board has 90 days to consider and vote on the recommendations. The SBOE took up this year’s recommendations during its June regularly scheduled meeting.
Generation 30 application process
All Generation 30 applicants engaged in a rigorous application process to ensure they meet high standards and are positioned to serve as high-quality public schools. The process included:
- A minimum standard review of all 25 submitted applications
- Evaluation by external charter school authorization (applicants must score 85% to advance)
- Additional review by TEA
- Capacity interviews conducted by TEA and SBOE for qualified applicants.
Generation 30 enrollment guide
Texas charter school history
The Texas Legislature authorized its first charter school in 1995, introducing a new public school option to meet the needs of Texas students and families.
Charter schools are one of several public education options in Texas. Other options approved by the Texas Legislature include magnet, state-authorized charter, virtual, and district-charter partnerships authorized by independent school districts (ISDs).
Today, 8% of Texas public school students are served by one of the state’s 188 open-enrollment charter schools across 958 campuses.