Alief ISD announces new public all-girls school for fall 2026 after seeing drastic enrollment drop

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — Critics worry the new school voucher program could impact districts already facing declining enrollment numbers. Over the last seven years, Alief ISD officials say it has seen enrollment drop by about 7,000 students.

Now, the district says it is opening a public all-girls school to encourage families to pick it when it comes to school choice.

“Alief, we feel like we are the right choice for families looking for educational opportunities, so we want to make sure we are on a level playing field when it comes to competition,” Alief ISD Superintendent Anthony Mays said.

Alief ISD will open applications for the Young Women’s Leadership School in the fall of 2025, with the first class starting in 2026.

“This gives us more opportunities to provide even more opportunities to families throughout the Alief and southwest Houston area,” Mays said.

District officials say the school will open with 100 6th and 100 7th-grade girls with the goal of eventually offering sixth through 12th grade. Alief ISD says enrolled students will focus on STEM courses and college readiness.

Superintendent Mays says the school will be housed in existing Alief ISD space, though the exact location hasn’t been determined.

It’s funded through a million-dollar gift from Texas philanthropists, Lee and Sally Posey, who have a history of funding women’s education through the Young Women’s Preparatory Network, according to district officials.

The Young Women’s Preparatory Network is a Texas-based group with 12 public all-girl schools, including ones in Houston ISD and Aldine ISD.

Superintendent Mays says the district is partnering with The Young Women’s Preparatory Network, which the district has partnered with, and the Alief school will be run based on the Network’s model. The million-dollar gift will be distributed over four years; after that, Mays said they will set up their own foundation to help fund the school. They are currently looking for partners and board members.

“While the school is an all-girls school, it’s important to know academics come first, so it’s extremely…it’s rigorous,” said Tamara Albury, the principal for the Alief Young Women’s Leadership School.

Albury comes to Alief from the Fort Worth area. She spent the last seven years educating and being a principal at other schools in the Young Women’s Preparatory Network.

Familiar with programs and their demands for excellence, she said she’s ready to take on the challenges of opening a new school.

“It’s really about building a foundation so they aren’t just able to take a place in the room or at the table, but they can lead those tables and do it with confidence,” Albury said.

Superintendent Mays says while the new all-girls school has an academic and STEM focus, there will still be sports provided as well.

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