Preparatory Academy is consistently ranked among the best in the state and nation.
STISD is the only all-magnet school district in the state, and offers Valley students an educational alternative. The district provides a personal environment, a strong scholastic program and hands-on training in vocational career fields.
Because STISD is a public school district, there is no cost for students to attend one of its six campuses, and bus transportation is also free of charge.
STISD schools maintain an open enrollment policy, meaning any student that wants to attend one of our six campuses can as long as he or she resides within the tri-county area we serve.
At Preparatory Academy, meet curious, collaborative and driven students just like you.
At Preparatory Academy, there's more to experience than solely academics. Explore what life is like as an STISD student, and be part of the many extracurricular competitive activities and social clubs.
The community here at Preparatory Academy is diverse, interactive and vibrant. We take pride in each and every position that plays a part in making our district unique and consistently ranked among the best in the state and nation.
If you are looking for spunk and excitement and non-traditional methods of learning, the Preparatory Academy community is the perfect match and offers endless opportunities.
Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry's standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book.
Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry's standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book.
Preparatory Academy Administration
Principal: Ana Castro
Assistant Principals:
Mari Ochoa (8th-grade Assistant Principal)
Wilmer Romero (7th-grade Assistant Principal)
District Administration
Superintendent: Marco Antonio Lara, Jr., Ed.D.
Deputy Superintendent: Jeff Hembree
Assistant Superintendent for Finance & Operations: Marla R. Knaub
Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources: Lissa Frausto, MBA, SPHR
Executive Director for Student Support: Efrain Garza
Chief Academic Officer: Nereyda Treviño
Administrator for Public Relations & Marketing: Amanda Odom
The Emergency Medical Certification (EMT) Program at Health Professions is one of seven available medical certifications available to students at South Texas ISD Health Professions in Mercedes.
In its first year of existence at South Texas ISD Rising Scholars Academy (Rising Scholars) in San Benito, the Esports Club has already made a name for itself— nationwide.
After four years in the STISD Medical Professions Career & Technology Half-Day Culinary Arts Program, Israel Ramirez is cooking his way to his dream career.
![EMT students practice skills]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1610403622/stisdnet/ufq25yh66w3adwuqmbd7/InsideSTISD-HP-EMT.png","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1610403622/stisdnet/ufq25yh66w3adwuqmbd7/InsideSTISD-HP-EMT.png","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1610403622/stisdnet/ufq25yh66w3adwuqmbd7/InsideSTISD-HP-EMT.png","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1610403622/stisdnet/ufq25yh66w3adwuqmbd7/InsideSTISD-HP-EMT.png","width":1080}])
![Rising Scholars Smash Crew team]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1608319067/stisdnet/aygbs8o6xo7whx43tpju/0J2A0010.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1608319067/stisdnet/aygbs8o6xo7whx43tpju/0J2A0010.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1608319067/stisdnet/aygbs8o6xo7whx43tpju/0J2A0010.jpg","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_4/v1608319067/stisdnet/aygbs8o6xo7whx43tpju/0J2A0010.jpg","width":1200},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_5/v1608319067/stisdnet/aygbs8o6xo7whx43tpju/0J2A0010.jpg","width":1600},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_6/v1608319067/stisdnet/aygbs8o6xo7whx43tpju/0J2A0010.jpg","width":2200}])
![Medical Professions Culinary Arts Student]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1608319030/stisdnet/nytq6aeoaroy3l20fkvp/ScreenShot2020-12-17at94027AM.png","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1608319030/stisdnet/nytq6aeoaroy3l20fkvp/ScreenShot2020-12-17at94027AM.png","width":498}])