2024 Person of the Year: Mike Rockwood

With leadership of new superintendent, future looks bright for HPISD

Superintendent Mike Rockwood has been at the helm of Highland Park ISD for less than 24 months, but his team’s achievements have already shaped the district for years to come.

The Park Cities community recently gave HPISD teachers and staff an overwhelming vote of confidence with the passage of the district’s $137.3 million bond package. In an election where most Texas bond referendums failed, HPISD’s bond won the approval of almost 70% of voters.

Rockwood has earned Park Cities People’s respect and admiration, as well. We’ve named him our Person of the Year for 2024.

“The one thing that you’ll find in the Park Cities is that if you can get this community aligned on anything, the sky’s the limit,” Rockwood said. “The fact that we had such an overwhelming reaction during a presidential election with over 18,000 voters was truly a blessing.”

Bond approval numbers aren’t the only ones that have been high under Rockwood’s leadership. Student test scores are also going up.

Thanks to the implementation of HPISD’s new English Language Arts framework, elementary schoolers have already seen significant gains in their scores on the STAAR, Texas’ annual achievement test. Nearly three-quarters of HPISD third and fourth graders scored at the highest level on the 2024 English Language Arts test. They outperformed both their peers in the state and in a selection of other high-performing districts.

At the secondary level, sophomores and juniors’ scores have increased on the PSAT, the test used to qualify for the National Merit Scholarship Program and prepare for college admission exams.

Rockwood, the father of two HPISD students, is the ninth superintendent in the district’s 110-year history. He’s committed to partnering with parents, staff, and the community to ensure HPISD remains “the very best public school district in Texas” for years to come. 

By 2028, his team aims to boost the pay of all HPISD educators into the top quartile of its comparison school districts. The district has jumped in the rankings since 2020 thanks to the efforts of the HPISD community, Rockwood said. The 2024 bond and a commitment to fiscal responsibility are moving the district even closer to that goal.

The Board of Trustees approved a new five-year Strategic Plan Balanced Scorecard in Dec. 2023, a document that Rockwood said will help the district stay focused on its “North Star.” 

“I’ve not seen anything in Highland Park ISD without a nudge to the left or a nudge to the right that we can’t make really significant gains,” he said. “Making sure that the experience across the board is a good one for our children is what’s important.”

Board of Trustees president Maryjane Bonfield said she was excited about the future of the district under Rockwood’s leadership, and grateful he chose to become a part of the HPISD community.

“In all his efforts, Dr. Rockwood combines a spirit of continuous improvement with a calm, direct approach, qualities that have proven invaluable to our district,” she said. “His leadership has kept HPISD on a positive trajectory towards excellence.”