Eastlake Middle School in the Socorro Independent School District has been designated a Texas Schools to Watch Campus by the National Forum to Accelerate Middle-Grades Reform and the Texas Association of Secondary School Principals as part of a national recognition program. The school joins approximately 70 other Texas campuses in this distinction.
Eastlake Middle School will be recognized in Austin at the Making Middle School Matter Symposium hosted by TASSP on March 1‐3, 2026. Additionally, the school will be honored nationally at the National Forum of Schools to Watch Conference in Washington, DC, on June 25–27, 2026, alongside other distinguished Schools to Watch from across the country.
“We are honored and grateful for the designation,” said Eastlake Middle School Principal Gabriela Elliott. “It is truly a prestigious award bringing Eastlake Middle School Raven Pride because it endorses our school as excelling academically, meeting the developmental needs of all our students, ensuring equity for all, and operating with strong, collaborative systems. Our students directly benefit from attending our campus with strong support systems and excellent teaching in a positive culture that helps all our students grow and succeed.”
State leaders selected Eastlake Middle School for its Academic Excellence, Developmental Responsiveness, Social Equity and Organizational Structure and Processes. In addition, Eastlake Middle School has strong leadership, teachers who work together to improve curriculum and instruction, and a commitment to assessment and accountability to bring about continuous improvement.
“We congratulate Principal Ms. Gabriela Elliott, her staff, students, and parents for being a campus that does great things for all their students. This school has demonstrated that a high‐performing middle school is a place that focuses on academic growth and achievement. Eastlake Middle School is a place that recognizes the importance of meeting the needs of all students and ensures that every child has access to a challenging, high‐quality education,” said Dr. Joe Coleman, State Director for Schools to Watch in Texas and TASSP Associate Executive Director for Middle‐Level Services.
The Schools To Watch selection process is based on a written application that requires schools to show how they met criteria developed by the National Forum to Accelerate Middle Grades Reform. Schools that appeared to meet the criteria were then visited by state teams, which observed classrooms, interviewed administrators, teachers, students and parents. The team also reviewed achievement data, suspension rates, lesson quality, and student work. Schools are recognized for a three‐year period, and at the end of three years, they must demonstrate progress on specific goals to be re‐designated. Unlike the Blue Ribbon recognition program, “Schools to Watch” requires schools to not just identify strengths, but also to focus on areas of continuous improvement; thus, the three‐year re‐designation.
Launched in 1999, Schools to Watch began as a national program to identify middle‐grades schools across the country that met or exceeded 37 research-based criteria developed by the National Forum. The Forum developed a website featuring online tours of schools and detailed information on the selection criteria used in the recognition program. There are now 20 states with trained Schools to Watch State Teams, with more than 480 schools recognized nationwide.
“We are pleased that our Schools to Watch program has shown that schools can meet high academic expectations while preserving a commitment to healthy development and equity for all students,” said Cathy
Perry, National Forum Executive Director. “These Schools to Watch are indeed special; they make education so exciting that students and teachers don’t want to miss a day. These schools have proven that it is possible to overcome barriers in achieving excellence, and any middle‐level school in any state can truly learn from their examples.”