Meanwhile, Burnet, Dobie and Webb middle schools received their fourth consecutive F ratings in 2025, putting the district at risk of facing a state takeover or closing those campuses in 2026. TEA data shows more than 20 new AISD campuses have received multiple failed A-F ratings and may require state intervention going forward.
The TEA released public school accountability ratings for the 2023-24 and 2024-25 school years Aug. 15, wrapping up a legal battle that began nearly two years prior. Texans can find the updated accountability ratings for K-12 districts and individual campuses at www.txschools.gov.
Zooming out
AISD received an overall C rating of 79 out of 100 in 2025, increasing 2 percentage points from a score of 77 out of 100 in 2023 and 2024.
In 2025, 60% of AISD campuses received an A, B or C rating compared to 55% of campuses in 2024.
From 2024 to 2025, the district saw a nearly 15% decrease in the number of campuses that received a D or F rating, which are considered unacceptable ratings by the TEA.
AISD has been focused on deploying resources to help students perform on grade level, Superintendent Matias Segura said. The district has seen improved outcomes in early literacy following adjustments to its curriculum, he said.“The system is moving,” Segura said. “There are certainly bright spots, and we're proud of them.”
District officials highlighted several campuses that earned improved ratings in 2025 at AISD’s convocation event Aug. 15. Sylvia Pompa, a fifth grade dual language teacher at Langford Elementary, said the most rewarding experience in her 44 years as an educator was seeing Langford improve from an F in 2024 to a C rating in 2025.
“Every child can succeed,” Pompa said. “Every child can become a successful student. We have to give them that opportunity.”
Zooming in
Of 123 campuses in 2023-24 school year:
- 16 received an A
- 28 received a B
- 23 received a C
- 19 received a D
- 29 received an F
- 8 were not rated
- 22 received an A
- 25 received a B
- 27 received a C
- 18 received a D
- 23 received an F
- 8 were not rated
Also of note
Burnet, Dobie and Webb middle schools received their fourth consecutive F rating in the 2024-25 school year. Burnet received a 54 out of 100, while Dobie and Webb middle schools received a 59 out of 100. Segura said he is confident Dobie and Webb will see improvements in their accountability ratings going forward, while Burnet may “take a little bit more time.”
“They're right there to cross that threshold into a D and ultimately moving to a C and breaking the accountability chain,” Segura said about Dobie and Webb. “Burnet didn't quite get as much progress as we would have liked.”
Under state law, if at least one campus in a school district receives a failing grade for five consecutive years, the commissioner of education is required to close that campus or appoint a board of managers. Houston ISD has been led by a board of managers since June 2023, and the state takeover was recently extended until June 2027.
In June, AISD adopted turnaround plans to restart Burnet, Dobie and Webb middle schools by hiring new administrators and teachers, and using high-quality instructional materials. The district has offered up to $20,000 in stipends to incentivize high-performing educators to teach at those campuses, replacing some of the campuses' former teachers.
At an Aug. 14 press conference, TEA Commissioner Mike Morath said AISD had “an extremely high number of chronically underperforming campuses,” including Burnet, Dobie and Webb, which he said have been academically unacceptable since 2018.
“That is a very significant problem, and that is a problem that doesn't just happen on its own,” Morath said.
Put in perspective
Texas school districts must have good leadership, talent, culture, curriculum and instruction to ensure success at their schools, Morath said. At several AISD campuses, “one or all of those things is missing, and they have to get better,” Morath said.
“There are some factors that appear to be unique to Austin ISD that are deeply problematic in terms of supporting the most at risk families,” he said.
Segura told reporters Aug. 15 that AISD is committed to doing the hard work to ensure students are performing on grade level. He said the districts must have great leadership and culture.
“There is a lot of work to do,” Segura said. “We recognize that not all of our students are on grade level and that we have to do the hard work of tackling it.”
At Burnet, Dobie and Webb, 86% or more of students are economically disadvantaged and at least 72% or more are English language learners, according to AISD data. Some district officials and community members have raised concerns about a socioeconomic disparities between schools with lower-income students in East Austin and higher-income students in West Austin.
Regardless of a student’s socioeconomic background, Morath said he believes “all children can learn and achieve at high levels” with proper support from adults at their campuses. Statewide, 361 “high-poverty” campuses, at which at least 80% of students use federal meal assistance, received an A in 2025, he told reporters.
“Poverty is not destiny,” Morath said. “You have schools all over the state that have some truly challenging circumstances that they are helping students overcome.”
The background
Texas schools are rated on an A-F scale based on three criteria: student achievement, school progress and closing the gaps. Elementary and middle school ratings are largely based on the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness, which students begin taking in third grade, while high school ratings are based on the STAAR and how well students are prepared for success after graduation.
State law requires that annual A-F ratings be issued by Aug. 15 of each year; however, the 2024 ratings were blocked for nearly one year after 33 school districts sued the TEA last August, arguing that the agency made it “mathematically impossible” for some schools to earn a high score and waited too long to notify districts about changes to the state accountability system.
Texas' 15th Court of Appeals ruled in July that the 2024 ratings could be released, and the TEA later announced they would be issued alongside the 2025 ratings.
Ratings for the 2022-23 school year were issued April 24, after a lawsuit delayed their release for nearly two years.
What’s next
According to TEA data, 23 additional AISD campuses have received two or more consecutive unacceptable ratings and may be required to submit turnaround plans to the TEA by Nov. 14. AISD officials are clarifying which campuses will require these plans with the TEA, Segura said.
Segura said district officials have already been preparing to implement changes at many of these campuses due to the TEA providing districts raw data to calculate their scores months in advance.
The district has previously explored closing campuses, partnering with charter schools or restarting campuses by hiring new staff as potential turnaround plan options.
“We're very well positioned,” Segura said about future turnaround plans. “We will ensure that when we submit, it is approved [and] received in a timely manner, but we're ahead of it on that front.”
Hannah Norton contributed to this article.
