Crossroads High earns Capturing Kids' Hearts honor again, Copperas Cove ISD says

Crossroads High School earned Capturing Kids’ Hearts National Showcase School recognition again on April 9, giving Copperas Cove ISD a second straight year with a campus on the national list and signaling that the work at the alternative high school is producing more than a feel-good banner.

The district said the honor reflects a campus climate built around relationships, trust and belonging, not test scores alone. Capturing Kids’ Hearts evaluates schools for measurable gains in attendance, academic performance, discipline referrals and positive school culture, and it also looks for most teachers to complete foundational training in the process. For Crossroads, the repeat distinction suggests the campus has sustained that model long enough to make it part of daily practice, not just a short-term initiative.

Pat Crawley has pointed to those results in other district coverage, saying the system has boosted attendance by more than 25% and produced the largest graduation classes in Crossroads High School history, a program that dates back to 1995. That gives the honor a sharper edge in Coryell County: the award is not only about atmosphere, but about keeping students connected to school long enough to show up, stay engaged and graduate.

Crossroads sits at 306 E Ave E in downtown Copperas Cove, next to the Copperas Cove Police Department, and the school describes itself as the oldest campus in Copperas Cove. Its administration building is more than 100 years old, a reminder that the campus has long served students whose paths do not always fit the traditional high school model. As a non-traditional high school of choice, Crossroads carries a different burden than a standard campus. It has to prove that students at risk of disengaging can still find structure, adult support and a path to a diploma.

Copperas Cove ISD said Copperas Cove Junior High School earned the same National Showcase School distinction last year alongside Crossroads, giving the district three national honors in two years. The CCISD Board of Trustees also approved renewing Capturing Kids’ Hearts for all four secondary campuses for the 2025-26 school year. That makes the recognition less like a one-off trophy and more like evidence of a districtwide strategy, one that ties school culture directly to whether students attend, persist and finish.