Education

For some Cypress-Fairbanks ISD parents, helping with homework, reading a school email or speaking with a teacher can come with an extra challenge: navigating those everyday conversations while still learning English themselves.

Beginning Saturday, Sept. 26, CFISD is offering a free resource designed specifically for those families.

The district will provide free English as a Second Language classes for parents whose children are enrolled in CFISD's Bilingual or ESL programs. Classes will be offered at two elementary schools on select Saturdays through March, giving eligible parents across the district an opportunity to build English-language skills at no cost.

Free CFISD ESL classes begin Sept. 26

Registration and the first classes will take place Sept. 26 at both Owens Elementary School, located at 7939 Jackrabbit Road, and Lieder Elementary School, located at 17003 Kieth Harrow Blvd.

Classes will run from 8 a.m. to noon on the following Saturdays:

• Sept. 26
• Oct. 3, 24 and 31
• Nov. 7 and 14
• Dec. 5 and 12
• Jan. 16, 23 and 30
• Feb. 6, 13, 20 and 27
• March 6

Parents can choose from three levels of instruction: Intro, Beginner and Intermediate. For additional information about the CFISD parent ESL classes, families can call 281-517-6387.  

For parents balancing work, children and household responsibilities during the week, the Saturday schedule may also make the program easier to fit into family life.

Why parent English classes matter in a district as diverse as CFISD

The classes serve a specific group of parents, but they are being offered within one of Texas' largest and most diverse school communities.

CFISD spans 186 square miles in northwest Harris County and is the third-largest school district in Texas and the state's largest suburban district. The district reports 114,820 students as of Oct. 31, 2025, across its schools.

That student population represents families from many racial, ethnic and linguistic backgrounds. District demographic data cited for the 2024-25 school year showed approximately 46% of CFISD students were Hispanic, about 20% were Black, 19% were white and 10% were Asian, with additional students identifying as multiracial, American Indian or Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander.

Language diversity is also a significant part of the district's day-to-day reality. Texas Education Agency data for the 2025-26 school year shows that 20.6% of CFISD students are classified as emergent bilingual, representing more than 23,000 students.

Those students and their families come from many different linguistic, cultural and national backgrounds, and their experiences are not all the same. Taken together, however, the numbers help show why language-access programs can be valuable in a district where thousands of families may be navigating school communication while also building their English skills.

CFISD offers a range of language-support resources for families, including translation assistance and parent ESL opportunities designed to help more parents understand school information, communicate with educators and participate in their children's education.

Helping parents feel more comfortable participating in school life

For families learning English, greater confidence with the language can have practical value well beyond the classroom where the parent courses are taught.

School life brings a steady stream of conversations and information, from parent-teacher conferences and attendance questions to school events, transportation updates, registration forms and conversations about a child's academic progress.

A parent who feels more comfortable speaking, reading or writing in English may find it easier to ask questions, understand school communications and participate in those everyday interactions.

That can be especially meaningful in a district the size of CFISD, where the relationship between families and schools stretches across dozens of campuses and a wide range of communities.

CFISD has also expanded opportunities for students to develop skills in both English and Spanish. For the 2026-27 school year, the district's Two-Way Dual Language pilot uses a 50/50 instructional model in which participating students receive half of their instructional minutes in English and half in Spanish. CFISD says the program is intended to promote bilingualism, biliteracy, academic achievement and cultural competence among both native English and native Spanish speakers.

Together, programs such as dual-language instruction, translation support and parent ESL classes reflect the practical reality of serving a school district where thousands of households interact with more than one language.

For eligible families, the upcoming Saturday classes offer something particularly useful: a chance for parents to invest in their own learning while their children are doing the same throughout the school week.

What CFISD parents need to know

The free ESL classes are limited to CFISD parents whose children are enrolled in the district's Bilingual or ESL programs.

Registration begins Sept. 26, the same day as the first class. Sessions will continue on selected Saturdays through March 6 at Owens Elementary and Lieder Elementary, with Intro, Beginner and Intermediate options available.

Families seeking additional details can contact CFISD at 281-517-6387. 

As additional CFISD programs, family resources and school updates become available, stay tuned to My Neighborhood News for information affecting local students and families.

By Tiffany Krenek, My Neighborhood News 

Tiffany Krenek has been on the My Neighborhood News team since August 2021. She is passionate about curating and sharing content that enriches the lives of our readers in a personal, meaningful way. A loving mother and wife, Tiffany and her family live in the West Houston/Cypress region.

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