Five Elkins High School ensembles earned national recognition as Fort Bend ISD placed 21 musical groups in the 2026 Mark of Excellence program.

The Foundation for Music Education, which runs the program, evaluates recorded performances from high school and middle school bands, choirs, orchestras and percussion ensembles across the country. More than 650 ensembles entered this year, according to the district. The top 25% are named National Winners, and the next 25% receive Commended Winner honors.

Elkins claimed more honors than any other FBISD campus. The Varsity Mixed Choir, directed by John Richardson and Jade Pañares, and the Wind Ensemble, directed by Joseph Chen, Hannah Scott and Christopher Dial, both earned National Winner status. The Symphonic Band, directed by Scott, Dial and Chen, received a National Winner designation under the program's Citation of Excellence track for non-varsity groups.

Two more Elkins groups earned Commended Winner honors: the Varsity Treble Choir and the Percussion Ensemble.

That total is no accident. Under Chen's leadership, Elkins band enrollment grew from roughly 150 students to 300 over five years, and the band became a finalist in the Texas Honor Band competition, according to a district profile of retiring Fine Arts Director James Drew.

Beyond Elkins, four FBISD middle schools earned recognition. Fort Settlement Middle School placed four ensembles, including the Honors Band, directed by Theresa Baragas and Tiffany Ye, which won in both the Band Class AA and New Music Division categories. Sartartia Middle School earned two National Winner honors for its orchestras, and Dulles Middle School's Symphony Orchestra also took a National Winner title. Ronald Thornton Middle School's Honors Band earned a National Winner designation in Band Class AA.

At the high school level, Dulles High School's Honors Orchestra and William B. Travis High School's Sinfonia Orchestra each earned National Winner recognition. Stephen F. Austin High School's Symphonic Band received Commended Winner honors.

The results arrive as FBISD navigates a leadership change in its fine arts department. Drew, who served as Director of Fine Arts since 2011, is preparing to retire. During his tenure the district allocated $3.2 million for fine arts capital purchases in 2014 and added more than 150 fine arts teaching positions.

"I hope students discover something through the arts that they may not have known about themselves: a talent, a passion, a sense of belonging, the confidence to take a risk or the discipline to pursue excellence," Drew said in a Sept. 30 district profile marking his retirement.

FBISD has held the NAMM Foundation's Best Communities for Music Education designation for 20 consecutive years.