The Lago Vista Watchdog brought a long school story, a mountain of citations, and an AI podcast. Kitty brought a fork. Both came prepared for a very different afternoon.
There is a C on the district’s report card. There are also graduates, musicians, artists, athletes, and a barbecue team giving this town plenty to cheer about. Kitty would like permission to notice more than one thing. She has already granted it to herself.
Our position: read the report card, ask the hard questions, and still clap for the kids. A trophy does not erase an accountability concern. A concern does not erase a kid’s hard work.
Now that we have established the advanced concept of two things being true, please pass the brisket.
Kitty’s gold star wall
The district’s 2025–26 Viking Victories page is a fairly compelling argument for getting out of the comment section and into the bleachers.
Brains. UIL district sweepstakes and three academic State qualifiers. Kitty also reached an advanced state. Of nap.
Drama. One-Act Play district champions. Kitty’s production of You Have Never Fed Me remains critically acclaimed in the kitchen.
Band. A second consecutive concert and sight-reading Sweepstakes. Keyboard Cat, play them on.
Girls basketball. The program’s first regional final. Kitty would like to speak to the manager of the trophy cabinet. We need more shelf.
Girls golf. The team’s first regional championship in 4A. Kitty’s ball is still under the refrigerator. Different tour.
Cross country. All six teams won district titles. Kitty respects the commitment but prefers to run at 3 a.m. with no published route.
Cheer. National silver at Disney. Kitty also performs gravity-defying routines. Usually when someone opens cheese.
Dance. Two Valkyries performed in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Kitty watched from a box. A very exclusive viewing box.
Business. Nine DECA State qualifiers. Business Cat has reviewed the résumés and offered everyone a position at the biscuit factory.
Art. Two VASE pieces advanced to State. Kitty’s latest work is a single paw print on a document you needed.
Barbecue. Rowin’ Smoke Blue took Grand Champion honors and $12,000 in scholarships. Finally, a scholarship program Kitty is personally qualified to investigate.
These are achievements reported by the district, not substitutes for academic measures. They are also kids doing good things. We are allowed to be proud of them without convening a special session.
“I can have context and also brisket”Alley Cat, editor-in-chief and actual mood
The report card has more than one line
The district’s March 2026 TAPR packet gives us the following comparisons. The years matter. These are the years attached to each measure, not a claim that every number describes the current school year.
| Measure / year | Lago Vista | Texas |
|---|---|---|
| Four-year graduation · Class of 2024 | 96.0% | 90.7% |
| Chronic absenteeism · 2023–24 Lower is better | 15.7% | 19.0% |
| Average SAT · 2023–24 graduates | 1,014 | 975 |
| Average ACT · 2023–24 graduates | 22.6 | 19.3 |
| AP/IB examinees meeting criterion · 2024 Grades 11–12 | 74.6% | 56.9% |
| STAAR Approaches or above · 2025 All grades, all subjects | 78% | 75% |
| STAAR Meets or above · 2025 All grades, all subjects | 51% | 50% |
That last comparison is a one-point edge. Kitty counts it. Kitty also counts treats, and the answer is always “not enough.”
The same report shows college, career, and military readiness rising from 67.7% to 77.4%, a 9.7-point improvement. It also shows the statewide figure at 81.8%. Progress worth celebrating. Work still to do. Kitty can hold both thoughts, despite having misplaced the family’s only orange brain cell.
The unfluffy part: TEA’s 2026 rating gives the district a C overall, with a D in School Progress. Those concerns deserve attention. Celebrating students is not a plan for improving those scores. Supporting the people doing the work is a pretty reasonable place to start.
A friendly word for the dog
The Watchdog’s accountability story has real records worth reading. It also explains the changed rating rules and reports spending below the statewide average. We are not going to pretend the dog buried facts that are right there in its story. That would be poor fetching on our part.
Our disagreement is with the size of the emotional weather report. Not every cloud requires a tornado siren. Sometimes it requires a plan, a patient conversation, and a reminder that the marching band is having a very good year.
Keep the footnotes, dog. Kitty likes receipts. They make an excellent crinkly noise. Just leave room in the paper for the people giving this town something to smile about.
No dogs were harmed in this editorial. One was asked to share the sunny patch.
Kitty’s homework for grown-ups
- Go to a game or performance. Buy a nacho. Applaud somebody else’s kid.
- Thank a teacher. Coffee is a strong opening argument.
- Read the records before sharing the headline. Yes, even ours.
- Check the school board’s posted agendas and show up with a useful question.
- High-five a Viking. Gently. Kitty prefers a slow blink.
We live here together. We can ask for better and still love the place. That is the whole editorial policy. The rest is just cat hair.
Kitty keeps the receipts.
Satire above. Source notes below. The documents are real.
- LVISD March 9, 2026 board packet. District TAPR printed pages 8 (STAAR), 20 (graduation and attendance), 24 (readiness), 26–27 (AP/IB, SAT, ACT). Use the district report, not the individual campus reports later in the packet.
- LVHS 2025–26 Viking Victories. Source for the student and team achievements. These are district-reported results.
- TEA 2026 district accountability summary. Overall C (77); School Progress D (68).
- The Watchdog story this article responds to. Read its reporting and sources for yourself.
Editor’s note: Adapted from the supplied first-edition draft. SAT, ACT, and AP/IB figures were updated to the newer rows in the district packet. The 96% meme refers to the Class of 2024. Source pages checked October 13, 2026.