Celebrating My Texas Future Schools

Digital Learning Opportunities for Educators

On May 12, we hosted a session celebrating our My Texas Future Schools of Excellence. Brandon Griggs, Assistant Commissioner of College and Career Advising at the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB), conducted a roundtable discussion with representatives from each School of Excellence, where they provided strategies for implementing My Texas Future on campuses. We also celebrated all the schools that participated in the recognition program and thanked them for sharing My Texas Future with their students.

The THECB was thrilled to honor the three 2025–2026 My Texas Future Schools of Excellence:

• Copperas Cove High School
• Tornillo High School
• Jose J. Alderete Middle School

These schools demonstrated widespread use of My Texas Future on their campuses and led the way in helping students explore their options and achieve postsecondary success.

Each campus exemplified what meaningful implementation looks like in action. At Tornillo High School, educators leveraged ready-to-use tools and integrated the platform into daily instruction, resulting in strong student engagement, hands-on exploration, and goal setting. Copperas Cove High School fostered a strong culture of college and career readiness with dedicated counseling staff and actively involved students. At Jose J. Alderete Middle School, students and staff began college and career exploration early, using the platform to help students envision and plan their next steps.

Roundtable Discussion

We invited representatives from each School of Excellence to join our session and answer questions about how they encouraged widespread use of the My Texas Future platform on their campuses.

• Assistant Commissioner Griggs asked Joanna Hernandez, Tornillo High School’s Teacher and College and Career Advisor, to share a success story about a student who used My Texas Future. They replied, “One success story that stands out is about a student who initially had no clear direction for their future. After completing the Interest and Skills Quizzes, they discovered a career pathway that aligned closely with their strengths and was something they had never considered before. From there, they used the platform and its Program Explorer tool to learn more and began setting goals for how to pursue that path. This experience gave the student a clearer sense of purpose and motivation in class.”
• Jessica Salazar and Maria Velarde, Copperas Cove High School’s Junior and Senior Counselors, took a question about receiving buy-in from campus leadership, teachers, and students. They responded, “We emphasized the benefits of using My Texas Future and how it can guide students to plan for their future and simplify their college application process. We also demonstrated how easily information from their profiles can be synced to their ApplyTexas accounts. Additionally, we incorporated the provided swag items to help motivate both students and teachers.”
• Nidia Avila, Principal at Jose J. Alderete Middle School, provided us with how they integrated My Texas Future into their events or classroom lessons. Principal Avila shared, “During the first part of the school year, the students completed several self-assessments and learned about the Texas endorsements and Canutillo High School pathways. Therefore, incorporating the platform into the classroom lessons was seamless."
  

 You can view a recording of Celebrating My Texas Future Schools.

My Texas Future Recognition Program

Launched in September 2025, the My Texas Future Recognition Program gives middle schools and high schools the opportunity to gain statewide recognition from the THECB by incorporating My Texas Future into student activities and programs. Participating schools receive My Texas Future swag items and downloadable digital marketing materials. Several schools statewide have received My Texas Future recognition as of April 15, 2026, including the following:

• 80 high schools
• 29 middle schools
• 49 campuses serving both middle and high school students

Take a moment to explore the map below, which highlights all participating campuses. We’re proud to celebrate their leadership and dedication. Interesting in learning more? Reach out to Lauren.Discher@highered.texas.gov.

Professional Learning Series and End-of-Year Survey

Thank you to everyone who attended or registered for a Professional Learning Series session this year! We’re already planning for the next school year, and we’re excited to share our new content. Please take a moment and complete our quick five-minute survey to share the topics and sessions you’d like to see in the 2026–2027 school year and help us continue delivering digital learning opportunities that make a difference in your work with students and families.