About the Ann Richards School

The Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders is an all-girls public school serving grades 6-12 for the Austin Independent School District. On August 27, 2007 the school welcomed its first 6th and 7th grade classes, adding one grade level each academic year until all grades were represented in the fall of 2012. The Washington Post ranks the Ann Richards School as the 78th Most Challenging High School.

Governor Ann Richards was instrumental in developing the school’s vision. Founded to give young women from economically disadvantaged backgrounds the skills and confidence necessary to pursue college educations and careers, it now stands as one of the largest single-gender public schools in the nation and a tribute to the enduring legacy of Governor Richards.

Today, more than 900 students represent a student body that reflects Austin’s diverse community. Each Ann Richards Star receives a world-class education thanks to a public-private partnership between the Austin Independent School District, and the Dallas-based Young Women’s Preparatory Network (YWPN), and the Ann Richards School Foundation. At the Ann Richards School, the mission is to ensure that students are not only admitted to college, but are also equipped to graduate from the college of their choice.

Our Mission Statement

The Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders dedicates itself to prepare young women to attend and graduate from college, commit to a healthy and well-balanced lifestyle, lead with courage and compassion, and solve problems creatively and ethically in support of our global community.

New Building Updates

Since 2007, the Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders has embodied its namesake’s lifelong passion for advancing education, empowering young women, and creating opportunities for girls who may otherwise be held back from achieving their full potential. January 2021, the Ann Richards School moved into their new home, a state-of-the-art facility with 21st-century learning spaces to align with the school’s innovative teaching practices.

More about the New Building

College

  • Over 100 colleges visit the Ann Richards School for the annual College Fair in the fall
  • Each student visits over 15 college campuses from 6th – 12th grade

Grad:

  • First class graduated in 2013
  • 9 classes have graduated
  • 712 students have graduated
  • Over $92 million has been awarded in merit-based scholarships to the 9 classes

New Building:

  • Moved in to a new 184k square foot state-of-the-art building in January of 2021
  • Potential to serve over 1,050 Austin ISD students
  • Ranked 98th in the U.S., 12th in Texas, and 2nd in Austin based on U.S. News and World Report Best U.S. High Schools

STEM:

  • 100% of students are engaged in STEM curriculum
  • Each year since 2018, 6th grade students begin their Maker Ed by creating animal enrichment devices for the Austin Zoo
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My hopes and dreams after I graduate from ARS is to become successful and be able give back to my parents. I want to graduate from college and if I decide to continue with it, go onto medical school and hopefully become a pediatrician. I just want to make my parents proud and make their sacrifices worth it leaving their home country.

Cielo Reyes
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After I graduate from Ann Richards, I plan on attending and graduating from college and major in construction engineering and minor in construction management. I plan to continue finding ways in which I can be involved in my community because that is something that I learned to do at ARS and would like to continue pursuing. My hope and dream is to become a female in the engineering field and one day have my own construction company. Along with this, I want to be able to inspire others girls like me to show them that pursuing a career in the engineering field and being a Latina is possible.

Pilar Fatima
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I plan to pursue my dream to attend The University of Texas at Austin. My ultimate goal is to attend The University of Texas at Austin and develop a career as a Physicians Assistant. Ann Richards has taught me how to be a leader in my community and I am hoping to incorporate that into my future career. Hispanic bilinguals are very much needed in the medical field: we are needed to help communicate with those who don’t speak English and are seeking medical care. For example, one of my many goals is to start my own clinic and have open doors for patients that are low income or undocumented, especially for those Hispanics or Latinos who don’t speak the English language. Ann Richards not only taught me how to be a leader but the importance in supporting our global community. Therefore I am ready to take all my developed characteristics as I pursue my future career.

Angie Medina