Corpus Christi ISD plans to add AVID college readiness programs to 11 elementary schools next year.
The Advancement Via Individual Determination program focuses on skill development to set students up for success in academics and removing barriers for educational attainment after high school.
In 2025, close to 100% of Corpus Christi Independent School District AVID graduates achieved on-time graduation, took the SAT or ACT and submitted the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. More than 80% were accepted to a four-year college.
The district also says that attendance rates are slightly higher for AVID students.
“AVID is a framework for teaching and a set of strategies that focuses on lifelong skill development to help students in academic and social settings,” said Bryan Davis, CCISD director of advanced academics. “It’s applicable for any content, any grade level and any student.”
In 2008, CCISD launched AVID programs at Driscoll Middle School, Moody High School and Ray High School. In the years since, programs have been added at all 11 middle schools and six traditional high schools, as well as Collegiate High School. In 2018, Webb Elementary School became the first CCISD elementary school with an AVID program.
Second grade student Charles Blackler looks at a colorful new carpet in a pre-K classroom after a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the expansion of Allen Elementary School on Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024, in Corpus Christi, Texas.
How does AVID work?
At the middle and high school levels, students participate in AVID through an elective course. At the elementary level, AVID is a campus-wide program.
“When visiting classrooms at Webb, you are typically welcomed by a classroom ambassador who will greet you and explain the lesson and learning for the day,” Davis said. “Every student has an AVID binder that helps them practice organizational skills. These binders contain their calendars, assignments, notes, future goals and serve as a vital communication tool for parents.”
The district is preparing to launch programs at 11 additional elementary schools next year: Allen, Fannin, Garcia, Gibson, Hicks, Kolda, Los Encinos, Mireles, Oak Park, Travis and Zavala elementary schools.
Elementary students will be taught organizational techniques using AVID binders and taught AVID writing, inquiry, collaboration, organization and reading strategies.
“AVID is not another thing; AVID is what supports everything,” CCISD AVID specialist Nora Casas-Garcia said.
In addition to the strategies and organizational techniques taught at the elementary level, the middle school program includes postsecondary exploration; college, career and military readiness; a focus on high school pathways; and peer tutoring.
There are lessons on financial literacy, teaching students about savings accounts and credit cards.
Students who take the AVID elective are also encouraged to take at least one “course of rigor,” which could include an advanced class in one of the core subject areas. Sixth grade AVID students are supported so that they are on track to take algebra, a high school course, in eighth grade.
Students who participate in four years of high school AVID are exposed to college opportunities, including campus tours, and receive extra assistance on admissions and financial aid and scholarship applications.
How many Corpus Christi ISD students are in AVID?
Currently, 1,337 CCISD middle schoolers are enrolled in AVID elective courses.
In high school, when many students dedicate their elective time to career and technical education programs and extracurriculars, fewer students are signed up for the AVID elective — just 764.
However, that’s a much higher total than in the 2024-25 school year, when just 480 high school students took an AVID elective.
Nearly 60% of 2024 graduates who participated in AVID enrolled in college the following year.
Kaffie Middle School, Driscoll Middle School and Cunningham Middle School at South Park are all recognized as AVID National Demonstration Schools. There are only 49 demonstration schools in Texas.
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This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: AVID college prep program expanding to Corpus Christi ISD elementaries