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HEREFORD, Texas — Hereford High School seniors are getting a fresh reason to make it to class before the school year ends: a brand-new car. The campus has revived its senior attendance incentive in partnership with Stevens Five Star Car and Truck Center, giving eligible students the chance to drive off after graduation.
As of May 9, 2026, school officials say the program is already changing how seniors think about attendance. The drawing is set for graduation, and each senior who meets the school’s attendance and academic requirements earns an opportunity to be the winner.
The concept is straightforward: show up, stay eligible, and get a shot at a car. For a senior class that has dealt with distractions, absences, and early senioritis, the giveaway makes school feel less like an obligation and more like an opportunity.
Bennett Bell, a senior at Hereford High, said the incentive lifts the atmosphere around campus.
“It definitely lightens the mood a lot. It's not like we're going to school. We're going to school for a reason, and we get rewarded for going to school,” Bell said.
That shift in attitude is visible in the hallways and the attendance office.
School leaders credit the car giveaway with a noticeable jump in attendance. In the previous school year, average attendance climbed from 89% to 96%. For a campus of more than 1,000 students, that improvement translates into fewer students missing instruction and more seniors protecting their eligibility.
Aaron Lewis, the 12th-grade assistant principal at Hereford High, has watched students take ownership of their attendance in ways he had not seen before.
“I think that they're taking a lot more initiative in their education and their attendance. So they're following up with attendance, bringing their doctor's notes, and coming to school. And when they're out there making sure they're calling in, they're going to the parents calling in. So they're taking a lot more initiative in their education,” Lewis said.
That extra responsibility matters because unexcused absences can quickly add up. By staying on top of doctor’s notes and check-in calls, seniors not only protect their chances for the car but also build habits that will serve them in college and work.
The incentive is not just about being in the building. Academic standing also plays a role in eligibility. Students said that requirement has pushed them to take grades more seriously.
Diazany Rivera, a senior at Hereford High, sees the car drawing as motivation to aim higher in every class.
“It does make me want to strive to get higher grades, because that's also another requirement. And with perfect attendance. I know that attendance comes with the perfect grades,” Rivera said.
That combination of attendance and academics makes the prize meaningful. It encourages seniors to treat the last stretch of high school with the same focus they will need after graduation.
The car is provided by Stevens Five Star Car and Truck Center, a name local families have trusted for years. For Issac Walker, a dealer at the store, the giveaway is about more than moving vehicles off the lot.
“Now in a position where maybe I can help somebody else get started in life and have a jumpstart. So it was a big deal, and it made me feel pretty good about it,” Walker said.
His comments point to the larger purpose behind the program. A car can be life-changing for a senior headed to college, a trade school, or a first job. It takes away a major expense and creates a smoother transition to independence.
The Hereford program comes at a time when school districts across Texas are still working to repair attendance habits disrupted by the pandemic. For years, educators have watched students struggle with chronic absenteeism, and the problem has not fully gone away. School leaders have tried mentoring, parent communication, and stricter attendance policies.
Incentives like this car drawing add a positive layer to those efforts. Instead of focusing only on punishment for missed days, Hereford High is rewarding the students who show up consistently. That approach can reach teenagers who are less motivated by warnings and more motivated by a big prize.
Attendance Works, a national nonprofit focused on improving school attendance, has long argued that successful programs combine positive reinforcement with early intervention. The car giveaway alone cannot solve every attendance problem, but it can reinforce a culture in which school is the obvious place to be.
For many seniors, the message behind the giveaway is just as important as the vehicle.
Bell said the program makes students feel like their presence is recognized and valued. It is not a distant policy handed down by administrators; it is a visible sign that the school and local business leaders are invested in their future.
That feeling can spread. Seniors who compete for the car tend to bring classmates along with them, creating a kind of friendly accountability. If a friend is about to be marked absent, someone else may give them a nudge.
The final drawing will take place during graduation ceremonies, giving the entire senior class one last moment of suspense before they officially walk out of the building.
Parents and staff will be watching to see which student takes home the keys. But school leaders say the real victory is already clear: more seniors are in class, more are engaged academically, and more are leaving high school with a stronger attendance record.
The success of the Hereford program could also serve as a model for other schools in the Texas Panhandle. With a local partner willing to offer a major prize, the financial cost to the district is low, and the benefits show up in the data.
Stevens Five Star has been part of the Hereford community for years, and this is not the first time the dealership has stepped up for local students. The renewed partnership suggests the car giveaway is more than a one-year publicity move.
“It made me feel pretty good about it,” Walker said, echoing a sentiment that administrators and students seem to share.
For the seniors at Hereford High, that good feeling is mutual. As the school year winds down, they have one more reason to show up, sit in class, and wait for that final announcement.
When the winner is named, it won’t just be a prize handed out at graduation. It will be proof that attendance, responsibility, and community support can carry a student through to the next chapter of life.
