More than 32,000 Spring ISD students walked through campus doors Wednesday, Aug. 12, carrying backpacks and facing a school year that looks different from the one before it: free breakfast and lunch for everyone, phones locked away during the school day, and two campuses that already started classes two days early.
The district set the tone at Convocation 2026, held Aug. 7, where staff gathered to hear student speakers, recognize community contributors and launch what Spring ISD branded its "Together in OPPORTUNITY" theme for the year.
Free meals, no paperwork
Every student at all 41 Spring ISD campuses will eat breakfast and lunch at no cost this year through the federal Community Eligibility Program. The district serves an average of 43,000 meals daily, and families will not need to submit meal applications, according to Click2Houston. It is the final year of Spring ISD's current CEP cycle.
"Nutrition is academics. So, making sure that every single child is fed, both morning and afternoon, really leads to a quality education in the classroom," Superintendent Kregg Cuellar told Click2Houston on Aug. 10, when the district announced the program.
As we reported Tuesday, families still need to return an income survey this fall because the district's CEP eligibility for future years depends on participation data collected now.
Phone ban takes effect
Texas House Bill 1481, the statewide communication-device law, bars students from using personal cell phones during the entire instructional day. That includes hallways, lunch and passing periods. Spring ISD students who previously used phones between classes will find that option gone.
ACE campuses got a head start
Bailey Middle School and Ponderosa Elementary, the district's two Accelerating Campus Excellence campuses, opened Monday, Aug. 10, two days ahead of the rest of the district. Spring ISD posted photos of students arriving with "plenty of smiles, excitement, and school spirit."
The ACE model gives those schools additional instructional time and resources. Superintendent Cuellar highlighted the early start in a video message posted Aug. 7.
Bond construction continues
Bond 2022 projects are moving across the district, including a new Spring High School, a new EPIC facility and campus improvements at Reynolds Elementary and Westfield High School, the district said on X.
What's ahead
The board extended Cuellar's contract unanimously through 2031 on June 30. The approved instructional calendar runs through May 28, 2027, with a fall break scheduled Oct. 12–16.
