Last month, Texas Urban Council member district Alief ISD announced the creation of The Young Women’s Leadership School, an all-girls college preparatory school serving students in grades 6 through 12, to open next fall. As Alief Superintendent and TUC Chair Dr. Anthony Mays put it as the district broke ground on its newest campus: “Our goal is to provide a space where young women can build confidence, expand their horizons, and pursue their passion within a rigorous academic environment and supportive community.”
This development is just the latest in innovative choice programming being pursued across the state of Texas by member systems of the Texas Urban Council. In fact, several other TUC member school systems already feature one or more campuses that are a part of the “Young Women’s Preparatory Network” of single-gender college prep campuses to which the Young Women’s Leadership School in Alief will be the newest addition. These are:
- Irma Rangel Young Women’s Leadership School in Dallas ISD
- Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders in Austin ISD
- Young Women’s College Prep Academy in Houston ISD
- Young Women’s Leadership Academy in Aldine ISD
- Young Women’s Leadership Academy in Ysleta ISD
- Young Women’s Leadership Academy in Fort Worth ISD
- Young Women’s STEAM Academy at Balch Springs Middle in Dallas ISD
- Young Women’s STEAM Research & Preparatory Academy in El Paso ISD
By looking at recent student outcomes across these campuses, it quickly becomes clear why school systems in the Council and across the state continue to implement this model.
On the Young Women’s Leadership Network campuses in Texas Urban Council member school systems, roughly two-thirds of students are meeting grade level across all grades and subjects, compared to less than half of all students in the State of Texas.
This differential is even more prominent when we look at Algebra I end-of-course exams, where over three-quarters students at TUC Young Women’s Leadership Network campuses are meeting state standards compared to 47% statewide.
This is especially significant because Algebra I has been shown to be a major predictor of future success in postsecondary education. This is undoubtedly a major contributor to the Network’s overall postsecondary enrollment rate which, according to self-reported data on the class of 2025, is over 98%, with 70% going on to complete a degree.
“We are building leaders,” said Yvonne D. Rojas, principal of Irma Lerma Rangel Young Women’s Leadership School. “When you empower and you have a group of females put together, academically they’re performing, but now they feel confident. They are becoming those vocal leaders. They come to me with solutions. They’re leaders with solution-oriented mindsets, and we develop that starting in sixth grade”
Rojas attributes her school’s success to the culture established by the single-gender model, one that fosters confidence, sisterhood, and leadership, which she believes are vital to a student’s success. At Rangel Young Women’s Leadership School, this culture is reflected in both the student experience and the results, with the campus proudly boasting a 100% graduation and college acceptance rate.
Students are supported through weekly sisterhood circles that nurture emotional wellness and challenged through a rigorous STEM- and college-prep–focused curriculum, creating an environment where they feel empowered to take academic and career risks. Together, these elements build a community deeply committed to carrying forward the school’s mission: “Girls today, women tomorrow, leaders forever.”
“This school is about empowerment,” continued Dr. Mays, “and creating opportunities for young women to lead boldly in every arena.” We can’t wait to see what the young women of Alief will do with this new opportunity.