Thousands of Rio Grande Valley school districts have been at school for nearly a week or more, that includes students at Weslaco Independent School District.

District leaders said they're trying to give students an edge academically and professionally this school year.

They're growing their CTE and dual enrollment programs.

"My students graduated with college credits and that's one of the great things as a parent, is when your students graduate with some college credit, whether it's 30 hours, 60 hours, it's going to translate into saving money later because they don't have to go four full years of college," Weslaco ISD Executive Director for District Communications Carlos Robledo said.

This is the fourth year Weslaco ISD is offering dual enrollment. It helps students graduate high school with college credits.

This year, Weslaco ISD received a B rating from the Texas Education Agency in their annual performance ratings.

The district also passed a $160 million bond back in 2023 to help improve security at their campuses.

New secure entryways are currently being built at every campus. That's just one of several upgrades in place as students get ready to finish their first week.

New safety film has also been added to the doors at schools, and the district also upgraded their security camera systems.

The district even launched, P3 Campus, to report crime concerns anonymously from bullying to threats, and notifies police in real time.

"So when you go into a building, you have to check in first. You know, we run a security background before you have access to the rest of the building, and then they buzz you in. So everything's locked and blocked off," Robledo said. "So before we're done with this bond, all of our schools are going to have these vestibules. We're building these right now in our schools, so that's a really good safety feature."

The district is also expanding mental health support with licensed counselors. They are working to identify students who may need help, and staff are trained to recognize signs and refer students to the right support resources on campus.

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