Houston ISD Superintendent Mike Miles says he expects the district’s state intervention could officially end at the close of the 2026-27 school year— and suggested his own time leading the district could end soon after.
“Get out of here as fast as possible. That’s my exit strategy,” Miles said during an appearance Tuesday on Hello Houston when asked about his plans for leaving the state takeover.
Miles later clarified that he has a contract extending four more years, but added he expects a newly elected HISD school board to choose its own superintendent once the state intervention ends.
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“The new school board, when that happens, they’ll want their own superintendent, I think,” Miles said. “So the new school board will pick their superintendent.”
What do you think of Mike Miles’ tenure as HISD superintendent?
Miles says the state takeover could end in 2026-27, and a new school board could choose its own superintendent.
Miles said the official end of the state intervention could come at the end of the current school year, although he stressed that Education Commissioner Mike Morath will make the final decision.
“I think the official end may be the end of this school year and then the commissioner will determine, you know, what sort of transition period there will be,” Miles said.
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Miles has led HISD since 2023, when the Texas Education Agency installed him as superintendent as part of its intervention in the district. He is now beginning his fourth school year in the job.
Miles points to HISD’s academic gains
During the interview, Miles defended his record and pushed back against criticism of the district’s academic performance, saying HISD has made “incredible progress.” He pointed to a sharp decline in the number of HISD campuses receiving D or F ratings under the state’s accountability system.
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In 2023, Miles said HISD had 121 D- or F-rated schools. The district now has 13, he said.
The number of A- and B-rated schools has also increased, from 93 in 2023 to 205, according to Miles.
“That’s a huge improvement in three years and undeniable,” he said.
HISD Superintendent Mike Miles during the HISD Board Meeting on November 14, 2024 at Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center in Houston, Texas.
Tom Walko
Miles also pointed to improvements in individual campuses, specifically Wheatley and North Forest high schools.
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“Why don’t you go down to those schools?” Miles said, challenging critics of HISD’s academic gains. “Why don’t you say that to them?”
Miles pushes back on criticism of test scores
Miles also took aim at criticism of HISD’s use of Texas College Bridge, an online college-preparatory course that factors into the state’s high school accountability ratings.
The Houston Chronicle found that college-prep courses played a major role in HISD’s improved state accountability ratings, with exclusive Texas Education Agency data showing every high school in Superintendent Mike Miles’ reform model would have dropped at least one letter grade in 2025 without the courses. Instead of having no F-rated schools, HISD would have had five D-rated and two F-rated campuses.
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“For three years the Chronicle and others have been trying to delegitimize the exam results,” Miles said.
He argued that HISD is using a state-approved program that is also used by other districts and said critics cannot simply remove the points associated with the program and assume that would represent HISD’s performance.
Miles compared the issue to basketball, arguing that removing three-point shots from a team’s final score would not account for what players would have done if the rule had never existed.
“You can’t just subtract the results and say this is what you would have gotten,” he said.
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Miles responds to viral Wheatley video
Miles was also asked about a viral video from a Wheatley High School teacher who said students in his senior English class struggled to complete a sentence on a multiple-choice question.
Miles acknowledged that some HISD students remain behind academically but questioned the broader implications of the video.
“Instead of crying about it, we get to work,” Miles said. “Instead of crying about it, how about doing something about it?”
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He also criticized the attention surrounding the video.
“You have one influencer going on social media and crying and now it’s a story. It’s a thing,” Miles said.
Miles said Wheatley now has an A rating and argued that the district’s broader academic improvements should receive more attention.
Miles says teachers are making more money
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Miles also defended HISD’s teacher compensation, saying the district has the highest average salary for returning teachers in Texas.
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He said the average salary for a returning HISD teacher is about $83,000. But Miles said he believes teachers should make even more.
“And now I don’t think that’s enough,” he said. “If we had the money, we’d pay them more. It should be somewhere around $90,000.”