Comal ISD Schools Recognized by Children at Risk, HLES Ranks Top in San Antonio Area

For the second year in a row, Hoffmann Lane Elementary School (HLES) was ranked the Top Elementary School in the San Antonio area by Children at Risk, Comal ISD said Tuesday.

The top schools in this year’s Children at Risk School Rankings Pandemic Edition were announced during a virtual press conference Monday, Nov. 30.

Children at Risk is a non-profit, non-partisan research and advocacy organization dedicated to addressing the root causes of social problems impacting Texas children through research, collaboration advocacy and public policy.

Among the 339 elementary schools which were evaluated, Timberwood Park Elementary School (TPES) also ranked fifth in the top five, giving the Comal ISD two campuses on the exclusive list. This is the second year for TPES to be in the top five as well.

“Hoffmann Lane Elementary is truly a wonderful place to be,” said Principal Amanda Schumann, who accepted the honor. “This recognition highlights how our staff and community consistently work together to ensure the success of every student. During this time especially, we have worked to ensure that safety and strong relationships are our focus. We understand that everyone must feel safe before they can learn, and our teachers continue to find new ways to keep our students and families engaged. Through our Parent Teacher Association and family engagement activities, we continue to foster community and family relationships which are key to every student’s success.”

In addition to making the top five elementary list for the San Antonio area, Comal ISD had seven elementary campuses rank in the top 50, five campuses in the top 50 for middle schools and four campuses in the top 30 for high schools. This includes Smithson Valley Middle School which ranked sixth among middle schools and Memorial Early College High School, which ranked sixth among high schools. See all 2020 rankings at here.

Bob Sanborn, president of Children at Risk, was impressed by Hoffmann Lane’s ability to find “new ways to make sure that every child is served.” He even commented on one of the district’s engagement programs called “Hallway Heroes,” which invites parent/family volunteers to spend a day on a campus with their student. This year, due to COVID-19 precautions, Hallway Heroes has been postponed, but Sanborn said he couldn’t wait to be one of them one day.

For the past 13 years, Children at Risk annually ranks and grades Texas public schools to help parents, educators and community members understand how schools in their community are performing. Schools are assigned ranks and grades based on student achievement on standardized tests, student growth year-to-year and how well schools support economically disadvantaged students.

This year, because of COVID-19, Children at Risk evaluated 550 schools in the San Antonio area looking at data over the last three years to demonstrate campus and district consistency over time. Middle school and high schools were ranked as well.