Aaron Aguirre-Castillo

Aaron Aguirre-Castillo is an educational leader dedicated to building schools where every student has access to challenging, meaningful, and supportive learning experiences. He currently serves as an Executive Director of Schools in Dallas ISD, working alongside principals and leadership teams across eight schools serving more than 6,000 students. In this role, he guides instructional practice, strengthens campus culture, and fosters partnerships that connect schools to their communities.

Aaron began his career in education as a high school mathematics teacher. There, he saw both the brilliance of his students and the barriers that too often stood in their way. That experience shaped his conviction that schools must be places where young people feel seen, challenged, and supported - a belief that continues to guide his leadership.

He later served as Dean of Instruction and AP/IB Coordinator at Uplift Heights Preparatory, a founding campus that grew year by year to its first graduating class. In 2017, Aaron became the founding principal of KIPP Oak Cliff Academy, where he worked to create an inclusive and engaging school culture rooted in high expectations and care for students. He then transitioned to Dallas ISD’s central office, where he designed leadership development programs for aspiring principals, built curriculum supports for teachers in math and social studies, and created professional learning that equipped leaders and educators to align practice, deepen content knowledge, and respond to the needs of their students.

Beyond his direct work in schools, Aaron has served in leadership roles with the Association of Hispanic School Administrators, supporting efforts to amplify the voices of Latino educators and expand opportunities for leadership.

Aaron has continued to invest in his own growth, completing executive education programs focused on postsecondary readiness, organizational analysis, and leadership in complex systems. He holds a Master of Arts in Educational Leadership from Teachers College, Columbia University and a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Connecticut.

His work reflects a belief that lasting change in education happens when leaders connect strategy with empathy, and when schools become spaces where both students and adults can learn, grow, and succeed together.