Hughes Elementary Earns Second Straight H-E-B Excellence Recognition, GT Teacher Finalist

Margo Anderson, a Gifted and Talented specialist at Hughes Elementary, was named one of ten North Texas finalists for the 2026 H‑E‑B Excellence in Education Awards, Prosper ISD announced March 6, 2026, a development the district framed as part of back-to-back H‑E‑B honors. The district highlighted that Hughes Elementary staff received H‑E‑B Excellence in Education recognition for the second year in a row following Prosper ISD’s 2025 Large School District win.

Prosper ISD described Anderson’s classroom in detail: "In a classroom at Hughes Elementary School, resilience is taught daily, mistakes are celebrated as growth opportunities and every student walks in knowing they belong." Anderson has spent the last five years in Prosper ISD serving gifted and talented students in grades K-5, and the district credited educator autonomy and trust as factors allowing her to build the GT program she envisioned.

Students and staff at Hughes provided immediate evidence of that classroom climate. A fifth-grade student said, "Whenever I step into her class, it makes me feel loved even though I'm at school. She says she considers us all one big family. She lets us be ourselves and treats us like her best friend, not just a student." Anderson reflected on the recognition: "When I came to Prosper, I was given the autonomy to create a program and an environment where I knew my students could be successful. It was the trust that was given to me that made the biggest difference."

Prosper framed Anderson’s finalist spot as more than an individual honor: "For Anderson, being named a finalist is about more than personal recognition. It's a celebration of public education at its best." The 2026 North Texas finalist field includes ten educators in the region; Prosper’s announcement ties that designation to a broader streak of H‑E‑B recognition for the district after its 2025 Large School District win.

That 2025 award brought concrete resources to the district: Prosper ISD earned a $100,000 grant as the large-district winner after an awards ceremony in downtown Austin where Admiral William H. McRaven delivered the keynote. In 2025, 68 finalists were honored and more than $480,000 in cash and grants were distributed; since 2002 the H‑E‑B Excellence in Education Awards have distributed more than $14 million to schools and educators across Texas.

Prosper ISD’s consecutive honors come as Collin County continues rapid growth, with five county cities listed among the 15 fastest-growing nationwide. Local reporting and district materials say Prosper ISD has responded with new schools, expanded programming and community partnerships, a context district leaders cite when highlighting the importance of sustaining classroom-level practices such as those at Hughes Elementary.

Region 10 Education Service Center publicly celebrated Prosper’s 2025 award and provides regional support from offices in Richardson; its contact information includes 400 E. Spring Valley Rd., Richardson, TX 75081 and 904 Abrams Rd., Richardson, TX 75081, phone 972.348.1700. With Anderson now a 2026 North Texas finalist, Hughes Elementary and Prosper ISD have extended a run of high-profile recognition that the district says validates classroom practices centered on resilience, belonging and educator trust.