San Diego ISD Superintendent Dr. Rodrigo Peña retires after career of gains

San Diego ISD is losing a superintendent just as the district is showing some of its strongest academic and operational numbers in years. Dr. Rodrigo Peña retired after a career built on school turnarounds, budget work and campus leadership, leaving parents, teachers and staff to watch how the transition will affect a district of 1,453 students, 101.18 classroom teachers and a 14.36 student-teacher ratio.

Peña’s path to the top office ran through some of the same tasks that now shape his legacy in San Diego. He began in 1999 as a math teacher at Sharyland High, moved into administration at McAllen ISD as an assistant principal, then worked as a master scheduler, a dean of instruction and a summer school principal. He later served as a secondary mathematics coordinator at PSJA before becoming assistant superintendent for support services and business and finance at Kingsville ISD in 2015.

That stretch of work mattered because Peña’s record showed up in hard numbers. At Kingsville ISD, he helped steer a balanced budget, added $1 million to the fund balance and improved food-service finances. At San Benito CISD, where he served as director of secondary instructional implementation during the 2018-2019 school year, preliminary STAAR results improved across the secondary campuses and the district’s accountability rating moved from a C to a B.

San Diego ISD now enters the next phase with its own recent gains on the board. The district’s 2025 accountability rating was a B, or 87, and San Diego High School, Bernarda Jaime Junior High School and Collins-Parr Elementary each earned B ratings. District materials say the 2025 STAAR results were the best since the test was first implemented in 2012, a milestone that gives Peña’s exit added weight.

The leadership change also matters in a district where needs are high and resources are tight. Texas Tribune Schools Explorer lists San Diego ISD’s student population as 98.2% Hispanic and 85.8% economically disadvantaged, while per-student spending in 2024 was $11,113, below the statewide and regional averages. In a system that size, even a modest shift at the top can ripple through staffing, program priorities and day-to-day operations.

The district’s 2025-26 profile still listed Peña as superintendent, and San Diego ISD’s public documents page included 2025-26 compensation, insurance, handbook and communication materials, all signs that the administrative handoff is moving through the machinery of a small district that has to keep business, instruction and public communication aligned. Board meetings are held at the Administration Office Board Room at 609 W. Labbe Ave. in San Diego, where the next phase of the search and transition will come into view.