CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — A bilingual kindergarten teacher at Galvan Elementary School is now the top teacher in Texas.
Denise Caldera was named the 2027 Texas Elementary Teacher of the Year on Oct. 16 at a ceremony in Round Rock. She was also chosen to represent the state in the National Teacher of the Year competition, making her the official 2027 Texas Teacher of the Year.
“I see it more than an honor. I think it’s a huge responsibility that I have,” Caldera said. “I now have a bigger platform to advocate for teachers and students and families in our community.”
Caldera has taught for 19 years with Corpus Christi ISD, working with students from pre-K through second grade. This is her 12th year teaching kindergarten.
She grew up in Corpus Christi, but her family were migrant workers who traveled to Minnesota every summer to work in the fields.
“We sat in the van and watched my parents work so we saw how hard they worked and we knew that higher education was a way for us to not have to work those long hours in the heat,” Caldera said.
Those experiences still shape her teaching. Today, she tutors migrant students as well as her class at Galvan.
“Because of what I lived in my personal life I like to serve others,” she said. “I think that a day in life that we don’t serve others is a day wasted.”
Caldera said one student she’ll never forget was struggling academically when he lost his father. She lost her own father at 18, and the two built a bond. He became one of her top students and is now in college.
This past summer, Caldera taught students and mentored teachers at a school in Africa. She said she plans to go back.
“I went there thinking that I was gonna teach them but I actually came back being a learner myself,” she said.
Caldera holds a bachelor’s and a master’s degree from Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi, as well as associate degrees from Del Mar College. She was named the 2026 CCISD Teacher of the Year before advancing to the state level.
Next, she’ll compete for National Teacher of the Year.
Her message for her students is simple.
“Where you start should never determine how far you can go,” she said.
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