Original Research by School Decision on Step - Detention
STEP - DETENTION is a very small alternative school in Georgetown that serves students in grades 9 and 10. As of the available enrollment data, the school has a tiny enrollment of fewer than five students total, distributed across both grades. This size reflects the nature of the program: STEP - DETENTION serves as a disciplinary alternative placement for students within Leander ISD who have been removed from their home campuses due to behavioral issues.
An alternative detention program operates on a different model than a traditional high school. Students attend to complete educational requirements while under disciplinary placement, with the goal of eventual reentry to mainstream schools or transition to graduation. The peer environment is therefore defined by students who are all in similar placement circumstances, not by a typical cross-section of the student body.
The available enrollment snapshot shows the student body is racially diverse, with about two-thirds Black students and about one-third white students. Data on free-or-reduced-price lunch eligibility, English learner status, and students with IEPs was not available for this school. State assessment results were not reported, which is expected for an alternative placement school; testing data does not apply to the same framework used for traditional schools.
The school is housed at 200 Wilco Way in Georgetown. It is part of Leander ISD, which has been growing rapidly and managing significant enrollment pressures. The district approved a major bond in May 2023 to fund facility expansion, safety upgrades, and technology improvements across its campuses, and voters approved an additional property tax increase in November 2022 to address operating revenue. The district has also undergone repeated rezoning of attendance boundaries to manage growth, with further changes approved for the 2026-27 school year. These district-level movements affect the overall capacity and resource environment STEP - DETENTION operates within, though an alternative placement program sits outside the typical attendance-boundary and capacity dynamics of main-line schools.
For a family or student looking at this program, the reality is that STEP - DETENTION serves a specific role: it is not a choice school or a specialized pathway school. It is a disciplinary alternative placement within Leander ISD's system. Questions about eligibility, duration of placement, curriculum design, reentry procedures, and transition planning are best directed to the school itself and to the district's discipline and alternative education team. The school's small size and focused mission mean a parent considering this option would benefit from direct conversation with program staff about how it addresses their student's situation and what the pathway back to a traditional campus or toward graduation looks like.
See more original research from School Decision →