St. Austin’s ESL program has three semesters each year. Levels 1, 2, and 3 ESL classes are typically offered every semester. Every semester starts with an orientation. Here, the students are given all the contact information and the regulations for the program and the center. With the Volunteer-led Classes (VLC), a class for beginner ESL and higher level tutoring sessions are offered.
The schedule follows Houston Independent School District’s (HISD) timeline. It begins two weeks after HISD starts in the Fall, Winter, and Spring, and finishes two weeks before these HISD sessions finish. This is done to give parents time to situate their children into their schools and prepare for the end-of-semester functions. The Summer session is scheduled in the middle of the Summer in order to be able to provide at least two full months of classes.