Case Study
Gregory-Portland ISD: Transforming Early Learning Through Experiential Environments
The Client
Gregory–Portland Independent School District (G–PISD) is a growing district on Texas’ Gulf Coast, deeply committed to academic excellence, community investment, and redefining how learning begins. Under the leadership of Superintendent Dr. Michelle Cavazos, the district envisioned a bold new Early Childhood Center, one that would do more than house Pre–K and Kindergarten classrooms, but instead immerse students in learning from day one.
The Need
Early childhood is a critical window for language development, social-emotional growth, and foundational learning. But traditional classrooms often fall short in meeting the dynamic needs of young learners.
Gregory-Portland sought to:
- Address the 30-million-word gap through vocabulary-rich environments.
- Provide immersive, real world experiences in spaces where many students might never travel outside their region.
- Ensure every space was accessible, inclusive, and stimulating without being overwhelming.
- Create continuity in learning environments that prepare students for lifelong learning.
District leadership drew inspiration from Mansfield ISD’s experiential classrooms and wanted to bring that level of engagement and intentionality to their own community, while infusing each space with local identity and purpose.
“Some might think it’s a risk to make this investment. And it is an investment! It is an investment in the kids and their future. And not just the future of our kids, but really the future of every community”
–Dr. Michelle Cavazos, Superintendent
The Solution
In partnership with Exhibit Concepts, G-PISD designed and implemented 18 permanent experiential learning environments across 6 themed “neighborhoods.”
Each space included:
- Thematic classroom environments ranging from “Let’s Get Going” (travel & adventure) to “Our Gulf Coast” (local culture and ecology).
- Dual-language signage and flexible sensory supports to serve a wide range of learners, including students with disabilities and those in bilingual or dual-language programs.
- Custom educational materials aligned to support TEKS and designed to reinforce numeracy and literacy in context.
- Professional development through a Community of Practice model that helped educators implement the environments with intentional, experiential instruction.
The result: immersive, hands-on, minds-on classrooms that empower children to engage deeply with content, and teachers to adapt curriculum to student interests and emerging learning goals.
“I believe that not only are we moving into to a world where things are very, very different from when I was young, but it’s moving at a pace that’s extremely fast. And our kids, they learn differently than kids learned in the past… these experiential environments give them an opportunity to play and develop social skills and emotional skills that will carry them through for the rest of their lives.”
–Robin Rice, Early Childhood Center Principal
The Takeaway
Gregory-Portland isn’t just redefining Pre-K and Kindergarten, it’s building a scalable vision for how experiential education can be expanded across the district.
With early indicators of success, G-PISD has already begun the planning of experiential common areas in other elementary schools and has prioritized the continued evolution of learning environments to support older learners, reinforcing that hands-on education doesn’t stop at early childhood, it grows with the learner.
Their story is a powerful model for how community values, student needs, and design innovation can come together to inspire not only academic growth, but joy, agency, and lasting connection.
“The Early Childhood Center was from a bond in 2020. Since, we’ve passed a bond in spring 2023 that is funding dollars to expand experiential learning into our elementary schools [beyond Pre-K and K]. Now, it’s going to look different than the ECC because there won’t be experiential classrooms... It’s going to evolve to include experiential spaces in common areas and more.”
–Dr. Michelle Cavazos, Superintendent
For information on obtaining a tour or project information from Gregory-Portland ISD’s Early Childhood Center, you may contact Ms. Robin Rice, Principal of the Early Childhood Center, at rrice@g-pisd.org.
