How has Leander ISD's teacher time by program changed?

In short

• Leander ISD had about 200 more teachers in 2024-25 than in 2020-21 (our math).¹²³
• Special education gained about 230 teachers. That is more than the whole rise, so other programs together went down (our math).¹²³
• Teacher time in regular classes grew about 3%. Career and technical classes grew about 35% (our math).¹²³

Related: teachers by program · teacher mix over time

Numbers marked “our math” are our estimates, not official figures. The notes show the inputs and the steps.

How it works

• The state counts teacher time as full-time equals (FTE), not as people.⁴
• Each teacher’s time is split by the group of students served, such as special education or regular classes.⁴
• This is a district total. It does not show class lists or which school a teacher works at.²

What the numbers show

Program	2020-21	2024-25	Change
Special education	356.9	587.4	+230.5
Regular education	2,016.3	2,080.5	+64.2
Career and technical	92.5	125.2	+32.7
Bilingual/ESL	57.6	51.4	−6.2
Gifted and talented	46.9	38.2	−8.7
Compensatory education	101.2	13.8	−87.4
Other	247.0	222.2	−24.8
All teachers	2,918.4	3,118.7	+200.3

Full-time teacher counts. Change is our math.¹²³

• Special education teacher time rose about 65%. Students in special education rose about 26%, from 5,426 to 6,847 (our math).¹²³
• The special education share rose from about 12 to about 19 of every 100 teachers. Across Texas it rose from about 9 to about 11.¹²
• Compensatory education fell from 101.2 to 13.8. Across Texas it fell only a little, from 10,226.9 to 9,612.7.¹²
• Most of the latest drop came in one year. The district’s February 2026 report to the board shows compensatory education at 1.3% of teachers in 2022-23 and 1.2% in 2023-24. Then it fell to 0.4% in 2024-25.⁵

The other side

• The report counts time by students served, not job titles. A teacher who serves more than one group has time split across them. So a program’s count can change without anyone being hired or let go.⁴
• The report does not say why compensatory education fell so much.² The board report shows the same drop but does not explain it either.⁵
• In the same year, the special education share rose from 16.9% to 18.8%. That could mean time was coded to a different group. The reports do not say so.⁵⁴
• Special education students also rose over the same years, though by a smaller share than teacher time.¹²³

Questions to ask

• How does the district explain the drop in teacher time coded to compensatory education?
• How much of the special education rise is new teachers, and how much is time moved from other programs?

What we still don’t know

• Teacher counts by school and by subject. The district report does not give them.
• Teacher counts for 2021-22. The board report starts with 2022-23.
• Why compensatory education fell in 2024-25. The district’s staff coding records sent to the state, or the district itself, would show it.

Changes to this page

• Nov. 4, 2026: Added the district’s yearly shares from its board report, which show when most of the drop happened.
• Nov. 2, 2026: Rewrote the questions to ask so each is open, neutral and addressed to the public body.
• Nov. 2, 2026: New page.

Footnotes

1. Texas Education Agency, 2020-21 Texas Academic Performance Report, Leander ISD (246913), “Staff Information,” Teachers by Program (population served), full-time equals (state in parentheses): Bilingual/ESL 57.6 (22,870.6); Career and Technical 92.5 (18,987.7); Compensatory 101.2 (10,226.9); Gifted and Talented 46.9 (6,558.4); Regular 2,016.3 (262,447.1); Special Education 356.9, 12.2% (34,862.5, 9.4%); Other 247.0 (13,442.2); all teachers 2,918.4. “Student Information,” enrollment in special education 5,426 (13.4%). ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸

2. Texas Education Agency, 2024-25 Texas Academic Performance Report, Leander ISD (246913), “Staff Information,” Teachers by Program (population served), full-time equals (state in parentheses): Bilingual/ESL 51.4 (23,158.4); Career and Technical 125.2 (20,492.0); Compensatory 13.8 (9,612.7); Gifted and Talented 38.2 (5,840.0); Regular 2,080.5 (255,127.2); Special Education 587.4, 18.8% (42,195.7, 11.4%); Other 222.2 (13,272.1); all teachers 3,118.7. “Student Information,” enrollment in special education 6,847 (16.1%). ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰

3. Our math. Change = 2024-25 minus 2020-21 for each row; all teachers 3,118.7 − 2,918.4 = 200.3. Special education 230.5 ÷ 356.9 = 64.6%; regular 64.2 ÷ 2,016.3 = 3.2%; career and technical 32.7 ÷ 92.5 = 35.4%; special education students (enrollment) 1,421 ÷ 5,426 = 26.2%. Rows sum to the totals in both years. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶

4. Texas Education Agency, 2024-25 TAPR Glossary, “Teachers by Program (population served)”: the FTE count of teachers by type of students served; FTE for teachers who serve more than one group is split across those groups; percentages are of total teacher FTEs. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

5. Leander ISD Board of Trustees, Feb. 5, 2026 meeting, “2024-2025 Annual District Report of the Texas Academic Performance Report (TAPR) and Public Hearing,” presentation slide “Teachers by Population Served,” 2022-23 / 2023-24 / 2024-25: Compensatory Education 1.3% / 1.2% / 0.4%; Special Education 13.8% / 16.9% / 18.8%. ↩ ↩² ↩³