In Texas, children must be 5 years old on or before September 1 to be eligible to enroll in Kindergarten. Exceptions are made, under MIC3, for Kindergarten students who have PCS'd to NAS Kingsville and were already enrolled in Kindergarten at a U.S. public or DoDEA school. Contact your School Liaison to learn more about MIC3 provisions in place to support transitioning military students.

Parents can attend a Kindergarten Transition Brief that is offered at their CDC. The brief provides information such as eligibility, enrollment requirements, school options, checklists, and resources. The Naval Air Station Kingsville School Liaison also provides this service to families on an individual basis, if needed.

The Texas Virtual School Network Online Schools (TXVSN OLS) program provides full-time online instruction to eligible Texas public school students through enrollment in one of the TEA-accredited public-school districts and open-enrollment charter schools approved to participate in the program. These free online public schools offer 100 percent virtual instructional programs to students across the state. Students who enroll in one of the TXVSN online schools are public school students.

Courses comprising the TXVSN OLS program must meet state curriculum requirements, known as the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), and align with accessibility standards. Authorized by Texas Education Code (TEC) Chapter 30A, the TXVSN OLS program is administered by the TEA under the leadership of the commissioner of education. TEA-accredited public-school districts and open-enrollment charter schools participating in the program provide full-time online instruction to eligible public-school students throughout Texas.

Under Texas state law, children must turn four (4) on or before September 1 to enroll in Pre-Kindergarten and five (5) on or before September 1 in order to enroll in Kindergarten. There is a Pre-Kindergarten option for children who turn three (3) on or before September 1 on an as needed basis -determined by the school district.

The State of Texas provides free prekindergarten for eligible students. Find A School can assist families and caregivers to see schools and programs in their area, based on address or zip code. Prekindergarten enrollment is ongoing.

To be eligible for enrollment in a free prekindergarten class, a child must be at least three (3) years of age on or before September 1 of the current school year (if a 3-year-old program is available) or four years of age on or before September 1 of the current school year and meet at least one of the following eligibility requirements:

• the child of an active duty member of the armed forces of the United States, including the state military forces or a reserve component of the armed forces, who is ordered to active duty by proper authority
• the child of a member of the armed forces of the United States, including the state military forces or a reserve component of the armed forces, who was injured or killed while serving on active duty
• unable to speak and comprehend the English language

In the Navy, your School Liaison can help you with the special needs navigation of the school or district that you are planning to send your child(ren) to. You should also contact the Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP) to ensure that you are enrolled and that you have all information and resources that they offer.

School Districts identify and assess all students within the district from 3 to 21 years of age who may have disabilities, developmental delays, and provide appropriate support and/or related services to those students determined by an educational evaluation.  

Gifted Education: All school districts in the local area have a Gifted and Talented Program. Students are typically evaluated in the spring.  

For more information, please contact the School Liaison.

Most military housing areas and school districts within school boundaries of military housing are familiar with this situation. Families can use their PCS Orders to NAS Kingsville to begin the school registration process. If families are amid closing on a home in the community, they can request documentation that shows an estimate closing date. Most times this is all the schools need to proceed with registration. If you have questions or issues, please contact your SL. 

Families who plan to live in the community and are currently in temporary housing may use an installation provided address to proceed with school registration. To receive the address, please contact the School Liaison.

The School Liaison (SL) helps by providing you with educational information on your new area (based on residence) and connecting you with a SL in your next duty station if you are leaving NRSE. SLs also offer resources on deployment support, are the liaison between command, schools and military families, work with commands and schools on the Partnership in Education program, can help families navigate the special needs programs in districts, and offer information and support for Homeschool and Post-Secondary preparation. 

The Interstate Compact seeks to make transitions easier for the children of military families so that they are afforded the same opportunities for educational success as other children and are not penalized or delayed in achieving their educational goals. More information can be found at: www.mic3.net. The School Liaison is a parent's first line of support in solving Interstate Compact issues at the lowest level. In the majority of cases, the School Liaison can help solve the problem. In the few instances that they cannot, there are higher levels of support for families through the MIC3 State Commissioner. Families should always start with contacting the School Liaison.

The Military Student Identifier (MSI) is a datapoint established as part of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) of 2015. The stated purpose of ESSA is to “improve academic achievement of the disadvantaged.” This starts by identifying students from vulnerable segments of the population. Military children were identified, due to their struggles with disrupted learning and social-emotional struggles because of frequent moves. 

This MSI data relies upon military-connected families to self-report military directly to their schools annually. 

Now that states are required to collect and report assessment data for military-connected students teachers, administrators and schools will finally have a better, clearer picture of these students’ challenges and where they might need additional supports. Through identification, schools can better serve and support the needs of military-connected students.

The School Liaison is available to provide families interested in homeschooling their child(ren) with Texas state policies and regulations and is able to connect new families with established homeschool groups in the local community.

Families must contact their local VA Benefits office to discuss their benefits. You may access the VA Benefits Office Directory here.

The School Liaison is a liaison between the school and the military and cannot be an advocate for a family. There are other organizations that can, and the SL can refer to those organizations. The SL’s role is to assist families in navigating the special education system within the school district and to assist with connecting you to the right people at the school or district office. The SL can also connect you to military resources that are available.

You must first contact the Student Services Department at your neighborhood School District. There are five basic steps to become familiar with in the special education process: 

1. Referral or request for evaluation
2. Evaluation
3. Eligibility determination
4. Individualized Educational Program (IEP) development
5. Progress Monitoring and IEP review

You must request information on Child Find and schedule an appointment to partake in the evaluation. If the child meets eligibility requirements, the school district will provide early intervention services.