By Matthew Cavazos
EDINBURG, TEXAS – JULY 31, 2024 – With the first day of school set for Aug. 19, the state-of-the-art UTRGV Edinburg CISD Collegiate High School is ready to open its doors to more than 400 students. A ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrated the milestone event on Wednesday evening.
Created through a strategic partnership between UTRGV and the Edinburg Consolidated Independent School District (ECISD), the 76,000-square-foot facility will provide students the opportunity to specialize in academic and career pathways that include academic core, health professions, engineering, education and computer science.
The new Collegiate High School mascot – the Lynx – was also unveiled during the ceremony.
Also, celebrating the opening of the school, located at the corner of Freddy Gonzalez and Expressway 281, were UTRGV President Guy Bailey; Dr. Mario Salinas, ECISD superintendent; members of the ECISD School Board of Trustees; UT System Board Regent Dr. Nolan Perez; and Edinburg Mayor Ramiro Garza.
Bailey said educational opportunities like the UTRGV ECISD Collegiate High School are transformative.
“We are thrilled to welcome the students to their brand new, state-of-the-art school, which will help pave the way for a seamless transition from high school to their postsecondary education,” he said. “This Collegiate High School will empower students to unlock their full potential and help shape the future of Texas, at no cost to their families.”
While attending the Collegiate High School, students will complete their high school education in the 9th and 10th grades, then will become Vaqueros and take their college coursework in 11th and 12th grades. The first day for students to begin taking UTRGV courses will be Aug. 26.
Salinas said this UTRGV-Edinburg CISD partnership is historic for students in a way that has not been possible before.
“By partnering with UTRGV, our students at the Collegiate High School will not only be earning more than 50 hours of college credit during high school, they also will have access to the highest quality educational opportunities,” Salinas said.
A COLLABORATIVE EFFORT
UTRGV signed a Memorandum of Understanding with ECISD in March 2022, in support of the development and implementation of a collegiate high school in Edinburg, and split the cost of the $29.6 million project.
The first cohort of students began in August 2022 by attending classes in temporary buildings until the new facility was completed.
Carmen Gonzalez, president of the Edinburg School Board, said students have been housed in portable buildings for the past two years.
“This newly constructed campus has been highly anticipated by students, staff and the community,” Gonzalez said. “We are very excited about moving in and having this amazing facility for our students and staff.”
The Collegiate High School is the Edinburg district’s fifth and newest high school, but it is the first Collegiate High School for Edinburg and the first in Hidalgo County to host its official grand opening.
“Our partnership with ECISD to bring this project to fruition is yet another example of our commitment to creating educational opportunities for students in the region,” said Dr. Michael Aldape, associate vice provost for secondary education partnerships at UTRGV. “Working alongside a dedicated team of educators from both UTRGV and ECISD to make this possible has been truly rewarding.”
NEW FACILITY
Invited guests and attendees had the opportunity to tour the two-story facility, which includes modern classrooms, teaching labs, equipment and the capacity to hold 700-800 students.
Two stories of the building features three large classrooms, 20 smaller classrooms, a library and cafeteria, and 24 staff offices.
In addition, the facility has 10 labs for a 2-to-1 classroom-to-lab ratio.
The exterior features the school’s name, as well as logos for the CHS, UTRGV and ECISD, which can be seen from Expressway 281 when passing Freddy Gonzalez Drive.
New and returning Collegiate High School students will begin registering on Monday, Aug. 5.
ABOUT UTRGV
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) was created by the Texas Legislature in 2013 as the first major public university of the 21st century in Texas. This transformative initiative provided the opportunity to expand educational opportunities in the Rio Grande Valley, including a new School of Medicine, and made it possible for residents of the region to benefit from the Permanent University Fund – a public endowment contributing support to the University of Texas System and other institutions.
UTRGV has campuses and off-campus research and teaching sites throughout the Rio Grande Valley including in Boca Chica Beach, Brownsville (formerly The University of Texas at Brownsville campus), Edinburg (formerly The University of Texas-Pan American campus), Harlingen, McAllen, Port Isabel, Rio Grande City, and South Padre Island. UTRGV, a comprehensive academic institution, enrolled its first class in the fall of 2015, and the School of Medicine welcomed its first class in the summer of 2016.
