Houston ISD Expands AI-Focused Schools, Eyes 100 by 2031
Houston Independent School District will convert six schools into AI-focused "Future 2" campuses this fall, with Superintendent Mike Miles planning to eventually convert up to 100 schools to the model by July 2031, according to an internal email to campus leaders.
The district's board of managers approved the first two Future 2 schools in February - Gregg and Clemente Martinez elementary schools, both converting to kindergarten-through-eighth-grade models. Four additional schools - two elementary and two middle schools - will join the pilot in the 2026-27 school year.
Miles wrote that he planned for 25 Future 2 schools by the 2027-28 school year. The timeline extends beyond his current contract with HISD, which ends in June 2030.
What Future 2 Schools Teach
Fifth- and sixth-graders in Future 2 schools will take semester-long courses focused on AI tools, design-thinking, cultural studies, and "how things work" over two years. Students proficient in core subjects will access accelerated coursework on an online platform, though the balance between online and offline learning remains unclear.
All students must learn a musical instrument to advance from sixth grade. After school, they participate in music, team sports, or community service projects designed around skills Miles considers valuable as AI becomes more prevalent.
The district says kindergarten through second-grade students will continue with traditional foundational academics focused on early literacy and numeracy.
Trustee Expresses Caution
Elected trustee Plácido Gómez warned against rushing to adopt AI in classrooms. He pointed to the 2013 iPad and laptop rollout as an expensive lesson.
"What these ed-tech programs tend to do is, they use the same model as social media addiction by having games and gimmicks and short bursts of dopamine," Gómez said. "Which really isn't the same thing as learning."
He called the earlier technology push "a colossal waste of money" and expressed concern that education is susceptible to fads. While Gómez acknowledged that AI skills matter for the job market, he questioned whether classroom integration should move this quickly.
"Reading is important. Knowing how to do math is important," he said. "That doesn't mean that we have to be jumpy about making sure it's in the classrooms."
Gómez and other elected trustees have no decision-making power during the state takeover of HISD.
Teacher Implications
The four new Future 2 schools will not "reconstitute staff," Miles wrote, though he provided limited detail on what that means. Schools will not allow teachers rated "Progressing 1," the second-lowest rating in HISD's evaluation system. Principals can recommend teachers at that level to stay with the district, which will place them at other campuses.
District Context
This expansion comes as HISD manages a decade-long enrollment decline and aging facilities. The district had about 130 schools in the New Education System reform model in 2025-26, but 10 are scheduled to close.
HISD is blocking release of Miles' Future 2 concept paper, requesting a decision from the Texas Attorney General on whether the document must be made public.
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