Steve Lecholop Deputy Commissioner of Governance | Linkedin
The Texas Education Agency (TEA) has announced its decisions regarding the Generation 30 charter school applicants, who are expected to begin serving students in the 2026-2027 school year. These approvals are pending contract approval and the resolution of any final contingencies.
The State Board of Education (SBOE) has decided against granting charters to Unidos Soccer Leadership Academy in San Antonio and Valenta Academy in Bastrop.
Approved charter schools will enter a contingency period with TEA before contracts are finalized. During this time, schools may need to meet additional requirements such as curriculum alignment with state standards, clarification of policies and board bylaws, and revisions to school budgets. Once these conditions are met, the non-profit public school systems will be ready to operate in their designated areas.
According to state law, the Commissioner of Education is tasked with recommending new open-enrollment charters to the SBOE. The board then has 90 days to review and vote on these recommendations. This year's recommendations were discussed during the SBOE's June meeting following notification from the Commissioner in May 2025.
Applicants underwent a thorough application process aimed at ensuring high standards for proposed schools, positioning them as quality public education options for their communities. This process included interviews before final recommendations were made by the Commissioner.
Charter schools have been part of Texas's educational landscape since 1995 when they were first authorized by the Texas Legislature as an alternative public school option. In addition to charter schools, other options include magnet schools, state-authorized charters, virtual schools, and district-charter partnerships authorized by independent school districts (ISDs). Currently, 8% of Texas public school students attend one of Texas’s 188 open-enrollment charter schools across 958 campuses.
For further information about these developments, please visit TEA's official website.
Alerts Sign-up