“Students don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care.”
Eduardo Infante, superintendent of Lyford Consolidated Independent School District, a rural public school district of 1,500 students in the Rio Grande Valley, knows his students succeed when they are treated like family. That’s why generations of Lyford residents have regarded their public schools as an extension of the community, and consider the success of their students a personal matter.
“Once a kid knows that you care about them, the sky’s the limit, and you can really work with them and they’ll want to work with you. They know you’re there for their best interests – to prepare them for life after high school, whether it’s college or the workforce. You teach them that academic success is important, as are the things you teach in a family, like hard work, service, and sacrifice.”
In this feature on Lyford CISD, learn how a rural district and its community are working in partnership to provide an educational family for students, as well as, a deep sense of pride for country, community, and school district.
Travis, Gabriela, Chase, Adriana, and Marcos (featured left to right) are currently seniors at LHS. Travis and Gabriela plan to go out of state for college. Chase, Adriana, and Marcos are looking at schools around Texas, and hope to return to Lyford to settle down. All say Lyford CISD prepared them well for the future.
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