Houston ISD
State Appointed Superintendent Mike Miles answers questions about Future 2 Schools at a Virtual Question and Answer event held by the district.
Houston ISD has earmarked seven more elementary and middle schools for its “Future 2” pilot program in which the curriculum will focus on building skills related to artificial intelligence, the district announced Tuesday.
Future 2 is a new concept led by state-appointed Superintendent Mike Miles that was initially intended for two campuses but has now grown to nine.
“Future 2 expands the focus to include critical thinking, problem-solving, real-world experiences, and the ability to navigate an increasingly complex, technology-driven world,” the district wrote in a statement.
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A draft of the proposed 2026-2027 budget showed the district planned to spend $4.5 million implementing the program. A spokesperson for Houston ISD (HISD) confirmed the proposed budget line accounted for the nine campuses, which could mean roughly $500,000 allotted for each school. The added Future 2 schools will also receive additional funding and higher teacher salaries, like the schools in the “New Education System,” or NES.
The changes are scheduled to be in place for the upcoming school year. Morning classes at the Future 2 campuses will focus on traditional core subjects utilizing the controversial NES instructional model and then transition in the afternoon to AI-driven classes. At these schools, the HISD press office said pre-kindergarten through second-grade students will continue to use the NES model, and students in third through eighth grade will follow the Future 2 model.
The district has said the model will not replace teachers with AI.
In a recent virtual question-and-answer session, Miles addressed concerns from the community about how much screen time the students may be exposed to.
“What we’re trying to do in the Future 2, in the afternoon, is ensure that students have experiences and activities that will grow their year 2030 skills like decision-making, problem-solving,” Miles said.
The district previously disclosed that the Clemente Martinez and Gregg Elementary schools would be made Future 2 schools when they announced the closure of 12 campuses. Clemente Martinez and Gregg Elementary will absorb students from campuses set to close at the end of the year.
All of the schools tapped to be Future 2 will serve student populations that are majority low-income and Latino or Black.
Here is a full list of Future 2 schools, along with their latest academic rating from the Texas Education Agency:
Bonham Elementary, C
Clemente Martinez Elementary, D
Gregg Elementary, A
Shadydale Elementary, B
Southmayd Elementary, A
Deady Middle School, B
Forest Brook Middle School, C
Hartman Middle School, B
Sugar Grove Middle School, C
Minimal details have been released by the district as to the day-to-day instruction at Future 2 campuses. In a news release, HISD revealed the Future 2 schools would open at 6:30 a.m. and remain open until 6 p.m., two hours after the traditional school day ends. After school, the students would have access to “Action Labs,” athletics, and music at “no additional cost to families.” The schools will also provide breakfast, lunch and dinner.
In November, Michael McDonough was elected to serve as a Houston ISD trustee for District 6. Currently under the state takeover, elected trustees have no voting power and have been sidelined for a state-appointed board of Managers. He says no other details or plans for Future 2 have been shared with the elected trustees.
Sugar Grove Middle School — one of the campuses selected for the Future 2 program — falls within McDonough’s district. He said families have raised concerns about how quickly the program is expanding.
“There’s some real trepidation about the acceleration of [Future 2] and what does it really even mean?” McDonough said. “What if I don’t want to be a part of it? What are my options? And I don’t think those are very clear to [the public] right now.”
McDonough recognized the need for innovation, but questioned how the district planned to pay for the expansion of the program and if leaders were being strategic with its implementation.
“If you try to go too big, too fast, what’s going to happen is there is going to be the unknowns that emerge, and we’re not going to necessarily be ready for them,” McDonough said. “And who is the potential person who will miss out on an experience because of that? It’s kids. We just can’t do that with kids, not with their education.”