The 2025 ratings were already scheduled for an Aug. 15 release, per state law. The 2024 ratings, however, 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.
On July 3, Texas’ 15th Court of Appeals ruled that the 2024 ratings could be released, rejecting the school districts’ concerns.
“Millions of dollars and thousands of hours of work by teachers, administrators and experts have been invested in creating the A-F ratings system; courts can decide only whether it is legal, not whether it is wise or fair, much less commandeer the job of running it,” Chief Justice Scott Brister wrote in the ruling.
What you need to know
In a letter sent to school administrators across the state, the TEA said school systems would be able to access the 2024 and 2025 A-F ratings Aug. 13. They will be publicly available on www.txschools.gov two days later, according to the letter.
Since the 2025 ratings reflect district and campus performance from the most recent school year, the TEA said the 2024 data would largely be used to demonstrate how schools have performed over time. Texans will be able to access more detailed scores for 2023-24 and previous school years under the “accountability overview” section for each school, which is shown below:
The TEA noted that some school districts have calculated and released their own ratings for the 2023-24 school year, based on state data.
How we got here
Texas’ school accountability system, designed in 2017 and updated in 2023, was created to give parents insight about the quality of their children’s campus and district through annual A-F ratings.
Schools are rated based on three criteria: student achievement, school progress and closing the gaps. The A-F scores are closely tied to how students perform on the annual State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness, or STAAR.
Ratings for the 2022-23 school year were delayed for nearly two years due to a lawsuit. Those ratings were issued April 24, after the state appeals court authorized their release earlier that month.
Campus performance declined statewide between the 2021-22 and 2022-23 school years, TEA data showed.
When the new ratings are released Aug. 15, districts and campuses that score a D or F may receive extra resources and support from the state, according to the TEA website. 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.
Sen. Paul Bettencourt, a Houston Republican who has frequently criticized lawsuits challenging the A-F system, called the July 3 ruling a “major legal victory” in a July 8 statement.
During Texas’ regular legislative session, which ended June 2, Bettencourt authored legislation that would have made it harder for school districts to sue the TEA over the accountability system.
House Bill 4, which sought to eliminate the STAAR test and adjust the A-F system, died in the final hours of the regular session after House and Senate lawmakers disagreed over whether a new testing system should be owned by a third party or the state.
Gov. Greg Abbott asked lawmakers to consider similar legislation during a 30-day special legislative session, which began July 21. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who leads the Texas Senate, announced July 22 that Bettencourt would file a new proposal to scrap the STAAR test, although that legislation, known as Senate Bill 8, was not available as of press time.
