Round Rock ISD Officials Select Principal For New Early College Campus

ROUND ROCK, TX -- School district officials have named Clarissa Rodriguez as the first-ever principal for the Early College High School scheduled to open in August.

Round Rock ISD officials said Rodriguez previously served in classroom and administrative roles in opening three schools in Harlingen, including an Early College High School in that South Texas city.

Rodriguez's experience as a teacher (including five years' experience at an ECHS), an instructional coach and in administrative roles yielded the ideal candidate to head up the new school, Superintendent of Schools Steve Flores said in a prepared statement.

"Mrs. Rodriguez has a wealth of experience leading innovative schools and serving at an ECHS," Flores said. "I am confident she will continue a legacy of excellence for RRISD students.”

The new school launches new academic ground for Round Rock ISD students, he added.

“Our ECHS marks an exciting beginning of new opportunities for our students to thrive and find success at all levels,” Flores said. “Offering more access to higher education and public schools of choice are pillars of our Strategic Plan, making ECHS a true community school."

A graduate of Texas A&M University- Kingsville and Lamar University, Rodriguez has been an educator for 11 years and has more than six years experience working in secondary schools offering specialized programming, district officials said. Most recently, she served as associate principal for teaching and learning at Harlingen School of Health Professions.

“I feel very honored that I’ve been given this opportunity,” Rodriguez said. “RRISD ECHS is going to be a fantastic opportunity for all stakeholders and will open doors for all of its students. We’re going to make history and it’s going to be fun and exciting for everyone involved.”

Early College High School is a partnership between a high school and college that allows students the opportunity to earn up to 60 college credit hours towards a Bachelor’s degree at no cost to the students or their families. In this case, the school will partner with the Austin Community College district.

The new campus is located at ACC's Round Rock location at 4400 College Park Dr. As part of the ECHS experience, students complete their freshman and sophomore years of high school within a RRISD facility at ACC while gradually integrating dual credit courses. Junior and senior year classes will be entirely at the ACC campus with access to academic and social counseling, district officials note.