Three Leander ISD High Schools Move Up In UIL Ranking

CEDAR PARK-LEANDER, TX -- In a barometer of student enrollment growth, Leander ISD is poised to have three of its high schools move up a category to 6A for University Interscholastic League play--its highest classification--pitting its sports teams against larger schools in future athletic play.

Starting in the 2016-17 school year, Leander, Vista Ridge and Vandergrift high schools will each move up to 6A as a result of enrollments gains, reports KVUE-TV.

According to UIL rules, the 6A classification is bestowed on campuses with student enrollments of 2,100 and above. Leander ISD’s two other high schools--Rouse and Cedar Park--will remain at 5A, at least for the time being amid continuing population growth in the area.

The UIL reassesses schools’ classifications every two years.

The growth-fueled reclassification will prompt additional hiring of coaches in anticipation of matchups with schools of 3,000-plus students, Leander ISD athletic director Lee Bridges told the television station.

“6A obviously presents some problems just because you’re going to play schools that could be a thousand kids more in their campus, but our coaches have done a good job of building programs, so I think they’ll be competitive at every level.”

Even before the UIL classification changes, district growth has been tangibly evident. Leander ISD is poised to open another high school to accommodate student growth. Tom Glenn High School on Bagdad Road is expected to open this fall, starting out as a 4A campus with some students transferring from Rouse High School.

While the higher classification is a source of some measure of school pride, some students are bummed out about the new development. Because of the change, the classic cross-town rivalry pitting Cedar Park against Vista Ridge will no longer take place this year.

But Bridges has a feeling that matchup might return soon--but in a bolstered 2.0 version--as all the district’s campus continue to grow: “Eventually, they’ll probably all be 6A just because of the nature of the growth in our area.”

Leander ISD high school enrollment estimates for 2016-17 are: Leander: 2,187 students; Vandergrift, 2,255; Rouse, 2,006; and Cedar Park, 1,949