Del Valle ISD breaking ground on new high school in midst of growth

TRAVIS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — Del Valle Independent School District leaders will break ground Friday morning on the second high school in the district as the community grows exponentially and student population expands every year.

The district currently has just one high school, Del Valle High School, with an enrollment of 3,500 students. That is 800 more students than the official operating capacity of the school, according to Del Valle ISD superintendent Dr. Annette Tielle.

Dr. Tielle calls this exponential growth at the school district the ‘Tesla effect,’ more families moving in for jobs and growing the student population.

“Being able to have a second high school to be able to minimize that large number of students at the high school is extremely important,” Dr. Tielle said.

The superintendent had been pushing for funding to build a new high school for years now. She advocated for the new high school in 2019 but did not have the community’s support just yet. In 2022, the district built portable classrooms in one of the empty parking lots of Del Valle high school to accommodate the amount of students attending the school. This created a security concern.

“Police officers, and security, and administrators out in the portable area, but certainly having all of our students in one location, indoors during passing periods — that is something that is a priority for us,” Dr. Tielle explained.

Later that year, the community passed the 2022 bond which included funding for the new high school.

What to expect in the new school

The new high school will be built in the northern part of the district in Whisper Valley. The 430,000 square-foot building will be for the students living in Hornsby Bend and Whisper Valley with an operating capacity of 2,400 students.

It will have the same amenities and programs as Del Valle High School and will even add a new cosmetology program.

The school is expected to open in August of 2026 with just a freshman and sophomore class. The last two grades will be added in consecutive years after its opening.

“I think the best is yet to come in Del Valle ISD. My message to families will be, what you find in Del Valle ISD is something that is unique and the best is truly yet to come,” Dr. Tielle said.