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: Marco Zamora
Assistant Principal: Roberta Davila
Assistant Principal: Victoria Marin
Assistant Principal: Kristina Venecia
District Administration
Superintendent: Marco Antonio Lara, Jr., Ed.D.
Deputy Superintendent: Efrain Garza
Assistant Superintendent for Finance & Operations: Marla R. Knaub
Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources: Lissa Frausto, MBA, SPHR
Executive Director for Student Support: Marcos L. Flores, M.Ed.
Executive Director for Special Programs: Brenda De La Garza, Ed.D.
Chief Academic Officer: Nereyda Treviño, Ed.D.
Chief of Security Operations: Steven Cortez
Administrator for Public Relations & Marketing: Amanda Odom
Niche recently released its 2025 Best Schools K-12 School & District Rankings, and for the 11th year in a row, South Texas Independent School District (STISD) and its campuses rank among the best in the state and nation in this poll.
The athletic program at STISD Rising Scholars Academy in San Benito was recently named the 2023-2024 Texas Charter School Academic & Athletic League (TCSAAL) Texas Cup winner for the Middle School Premier Schools division based upon its performance last athletic season.
From American Legion Boys State to Boys Nation, Science Academy senior, Yosef Herrera continues to put STISD on the map and is a symbol of true patriotism.
![STISD - 11 years among the best in state and nation in latest Niche Best School District rankings]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1728665257/stisdnet/qveyn12srhft3lau274o/Niche-STISD-2025-1080x1080.png","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1728665257/stisdnet/qveyn12srhft3lau274o/Niche-STISD-2025-1080x1080.png","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1728665257/stisdnet/qveyn12srhft3lau274o/Niche-STISD-2025-1080x1080.png","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1728665257/stisdnet/qveyn12srhft3lau274o/Niche-STISD-2025-1080x1080.png","width":1080}])
![The 2023-2024 Texas Charter School Academic & Athletic League (TCSAAL) Texas Cup for the Middle School Premier Schools division is displayed on a table alongside other received awards during the Rising Scholars Academy campus trophy presentation ceremony]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1727103799/stisdnet/ii2ejok8yahtg4urx4xv/RSA23-24TCSAALTrophyCupCrop.jpg","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1727103799/stisdnet/ii2ejok8yahtg4urx4xv/RSA23-24TCSAALTrophyCupCrop.jpg","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1727103799/stisdnet/ii2ejok8yahtg4urx4xv/RSA23-24TCSAALTrophyCupCrop.jpg","width":589}])
![Student seen smiling with American Legion commander]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1726082430/stisdnet/buyll6wiqamew1mmawmy/BoysNation.png","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1726082430/stisdnet/buyll6wiqamew1mmawmy/BoysNation.png","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_3/v1726082430/stisdnet/buyll6wiqamew1mmawmy/BoysNation.png","width":800},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1726082430/stisdnet/buyll6wiqamew1mmawmy/BoysNation.png","width":1080}])