Cynthia Trigg, the visionary Founder and Superintendent of Evolution Academy Charter School, shares her remarkable journey in education. With over two decades of transforming the lives of at-risk youth, Trigg has built a charter school system that serves as both an educational institution and a beacon of hope for students who might otherwise fall through the cracks of traditional education.
Evolution Academy, which operates campuses in Richardson, Houston, and Beaumont, Texas, has become known for its innovative approach to dropout recovery and flexible learning options. Under Trigg’s leadership, the school has maintained a commitment to meeting students where they are while guiding them toward academic success and career readiness.
What inspired you to create Evolution Academy? And how has that vision evolved since you first opened your doors?
I am a lifetime educator. I’ve been a teacher, a principal, an educational consultant, assistant principal. When I became an assistant principal, I was blessed to work at a very large high school, where we began to see about a thousand kids come in as freshmen, and fast forward 4 years later, those class sizes are not 1,000, there may be 300 or 400. I began to ask myself, everyone’s not transferring to another school, where are the kids? Specifically, where are the black and brown kids going?
During that time the Charter School movement had embraced itself across the country but had not yet nestled in Texas. When I began to ask the questions and do more research, we discovered that the Charter School movement was here, and at that time there was such thing as called the 75% rule, dedicated to addressing the dropout recovery movement.
I thought, if I’m going to have impact, I’m going to have to do something different. I researched at night and prepared the application process, working during the daytime as principal of a middle school, and petition to the State of Texas for the charter. In the year of 2001, we received approval from the Texas Education Agency, and we’ve not turned back.
Can you explain the typical student who would attend the Charter School?
We call ourselves a melting pot because Evolution Academy was created as a dropout recovery charter high school system, serving students who have either dropped out of school, those that are in danger of dropping out, or those that are just seeking a nontraditional instructional setting. Those students may want small class sizes, or they may want more flexibility to be able to attend school online or attend school in person. It’s about school choice, and it’s about being able to meet students where they are when they walk in the door, and our ultimate goal is to manage them to the stage.
Can you tell the viewers a little about your online high school program?
Our Graduate Now Texas program, it really is a call to action. If you are 26 and under, need a high school diploma, it’s letting you know that there are resources that are out there. It doesn’t even necessarily have to be Evolution Academy, it’s pointing you to a school that might be in your area that can assist you. Graduate Now Texas is to ensure that Texas students get their diplomas.
Where can people find out more about you and the Evolution Academy Charter School?
We are located in Richardson, Texas, Beaumont, Texas, and Houston, Texas. You can visit our website, and you will be channeled to the campus that’s closest to you. We service students throughout the State of Texas. We’re on a mission to ensure that as many students within the State of Texas receive a high school diploma, and there are no barriers to that. We have an amazing staff that’s willing and ready to work with each one of you.
