Del Rio city leaders congratulate about 700 graduates, urge community leadership

About 700 Del Rio students finished high school and stepped into their next chapter as city leaders used graduation week to frame the Class of 2026 as part of Val Verde County’s future. Del Rio High School’s commencement was set for Friday, May 29, 2026, from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. at Walter D. Levermann Stadium, 100 Memorial Drive, while San Felipe-Del Rio CISD also scheduled a separate 2026 commencement ceremony on May 26 for graduates from Del Rio High School, Early College High School and Blended Academy.

The City of Del Rio publicly congratulated the graduates and told them to become future community leaders. Councilperson Elsa Reyes, who represents District I, praised the students for their hard work and urged them forward into college, careers or community service. Reyes joined Mayor Al Arreola in the city’s message, giving the sendoff a formal voice from City Hall rather than leaving it entirely to the schools.

That choice mattered in Del Rio, where graduation is not just a school milestone but a civic one. The message connected the Class of 2026 to the city’s workforce, volunteer base, business community and leadership pipeline, signaling that local government sees these students as people who will shape the next phase of life in Del Rio. In a community that is watching young people weigh their options after high school, the city put its weight behind the idea that achievement should lead to responsibility, not just a ceremony.

Del Rio High School’s scale underscores why the moment carried weight. Texas Tribune Schools Explorer lists enrollment at 2,392 students, with a student body that is 94.1% Hispanic and 68% economically disadvantaged. Against that backdrop, the city’s recognition of the graduating class reached beyond applause. It tied one of Del Rio’s largest institutions to the city’s longer-term civic and economic future, and it placed the Class of 2026 directly in that conversation.