TEXAS \u2014 On Friday, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) released its annual accountability ratings for districts and their schools for 2026. It\u2019s how the state grades its public school districts.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s a lot riding on these scores, including a district\u2019s independence.<\/p>\n
The TEA gives ratings on an A-F scale, with F being failing and A succeeding. The report showed that 61% of the state\u2019s public schools received an A or B this year, which is up from last year by 2%.<\/p>\n
However, once a campus receives an F rating for five years in a row, the state can legally take over that district.<\/p>\n
Austin Independent School District may be one of them this school year. There were three schools on the verge of triggering a state intervention with four F ratings in a row. Burnet and Webb middle schools just received their fifth F rating.<\/p>\n
Dobie Middle School, which had been struggling to get out of an F, improved to a D.<\/p>\n
In Waco, South Waco Elementary saw its rating go down from 58 last year to 49 this past school year. Dean Highland Elementary maintained its F as well. For both schools, this is their fifth F rating in a row, which means Waco ISD could also see the state intervene.<\/p>\n
There’s good news for Spring ISD\u2019s Dekaney High outside of Houston: after four years of F ratings, it got up to a C.<\/p>\n
Spectrum News has been following schools already under state takeover, including Fort Worth ISD. The district remained at a C but improved a few points this year, receiving a 77 out of 100 compared to last year\u2019s 73.<\/p>\n
The school that triggered their state takeover closed, but the district saw the number of D and F-rated campuses decline from 39 to 26.<\/p>\n
Houston ISD is hoping to be out of its state takeover by June 2027. Overall, the district landed at a B, only improving by one point from last year\u2019s score of 84. But the school behind their intervention, Wheatley High School, got an A for the first time in years.<\/p>\n
Lake Worth ISD, which went under state control last school year, improved slightly but remains at a D rating. Its Marilyn Miller Language Academy, which had been getting recurring F ratings, improved to a D.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of the things that moms and dads across the state have got to know, and as a mom myself I feel this deeply, is we need to pay attention to how our public schools are doing and how they\u2019re performing on those four core subjects: reading, math, science and history,\u201d said Mary Lynn Pruneda, director for education and workforce policy at Texas 2036. \u201cJust because you live in a super nice neighborhood or you have a really great expensive house, doesn\u2019t necessarily mean that your school is delivering for your student.\u201d<\/p>\n
A large chunk of the score looks at student achievement. This includes STAAR results, plus college, career and military readiness and high school graduation rates.<\/p>\n
The state also looks at how individual schools are progressing each year and how they compare to similar campuses. Then the state considers how a school educates its students facing greater challenges, like high poverty levels or special education. The TEA calls it “closing the gap.”<\/p>\n