Arlington ISD is slowly inching toward a higher grade in Texas’ academic accountability system as three of the district’s lowest-performing schools made significant strides.
The school district, along with others in the Arlington area, received their 2026 ratings Friday from the Texas Education Agency.
Arlington ISD maintained its C rating, while Kennedale ISD rose to a B. Mansfield ISD’s grade stayed at a B.
Here’s a look at the ratings.
Arlington ISD
Arlington’s multiyear climb took another step forward.
This year, the district received a 78, its highest score since 2022, a year before the agency changed its measures for the accountability system.
The district reduced its number of F-rated campuses from eight to five. Miller Elementary, Morton Elementary, Peach Elementary, Swift Elementary and Anderson Elementary all received F ratings. Anderson was the only school already with an F.
Altogether, the district saw 29 campuses receive higher scores than last year, while 17 schools improved by a letter grade.
However, 34 campuses decreased, with the most drastic decline coming at Swift Elementary, which dropped from 75 to 57.
Some of the district’s consistently low-performing schools did make strides. Two schools in the district that received three F-ratings in a row, Rodriguez Junior High and Thornton Elementary, rose to D ratings.
Those campuses were two consecutive F-ratings from triggering a law requiring Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath to either close them or replace the school board and superintendent with state appointees.
Superintendent Matt Smith said he’s excited about the changes made so far to support students’ academic achievement.
“We’re not done yet, but we know we’re on the right track,” Smith said in a news release.
Smith said he hopes to apply what worked at campuses that saw big gains to others in the district.
“These campuses tell us the strategies are working,” Smith said. “We put targeted instructional and operational support where students needed it most, and the results followed.”
Arlington ISD submitted roughly 3,268 State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness, or STAAR, to the state for a rescore, according to a news release. Sections of the STAAR are now scored by computers rather than humans, a practice that began in 2024.
Last year, the district submitted roughly 4,000 tests to the state for a rescore. Due to a technical error, those rescored tests were not factored into last year’s initial Texas Education Agency ratings release and were later corrected.
The release stated 22% of this year’s rescored tests received a higher score after being graded by a human.
Mansfield ISD
Mansfield ISD’s overall score remained an 87.
For the second year in a row, no Mansfield school received an F.
Similar to last year’s ratings, 20 campuses scored an A, 18 received a B, six are a C, and three are a D.
Alma Martinez Intermediate School, Mansfield Legacy High School and Thelma Jones Elementary School all moved from a B to an A. Mansfield Legacy High School’s grade rose by 16 points.
Kenneth Davis Elementary and Imogene Gideon Elementary dropped significantly. Davis Elementary decreased 20 points, while Gideon Elementary declined 19 points. Davis Elementary was brought down from an A to a C, and Gideon dropped from a C to a D.
Six of MISD’s 17 elementary schools scored below a B, while all six of its high schools received an A.
Kennedale ISD
Kennedale ISD saw gains across most schools, with the largest jump at James F. Delaney Elementary.
The district’s overall grade jumped from 77 to 81, bringing the district to a B for the first time since 2022.
All but one district school, Kennedale Junior High, saw improved scores. James F. Delaney’s grade rose by 20 points, bringing it from a D to a B.
Editor’s note: This is a developing story and will be frequently updated throughout the day.
Chris Moss is a reporter for the Arlington Report. Contact him at chris.moss@arlingtonreport.org.
Bianca Rodriguez-Mora is a reporting fellow for the Fort Worth Report. Contact her at bianca@fortworthreport.org.
At the Arlington Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
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