In a nutshell
For both 2023-24 and the 2024-25 school years, Northwest ISD secured an overall 81 out of 100. This score measures how much students are learning in each grade in the district and whether students are ready to move on to the next grade based on State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness testing, according to TEA’s website.
When the TEA ratings were released April 24 for the 2022-23 school year, NISD earned an 82 out of 100, also a B rating.
NISD said in a statement to Community Impact that STAAR testing is only one part of student growth and the district is continuing to ask state lawmakers to abolish the STAAR test and hone in on personalized and continuous learning for each student.
“In addition to the STAAR test, Northwest ISD tracks and monitors the progress of students through their class assessments as well as tools such as MAP Growth testing. MAP testing is a low-stress evaluation that students take at various intervals throughout the school year to monitor progress and tailor instruction to their individual needs,” A spokesperson for the district said.
The TEA’s interactive ratings database includes highlights from each NISD school's rating. Key rating metrics in the database include:
- Overall rating and score
- School progress rating and score
- Student achievement rating and score
- Closing the gaps rating and score
School progress is measured by student performance over time and by comparing districts and schools with similar economic profiles. NISD earned B ratings for both school years, securing an 81 of 100 in 2023-24 and an 82 for 2024-25.
Student achievement is primarily based on STAAR results and graduation rates. NISD received a C rating for both school years in this category, earning a 76 in 2023-24 and a 77 in 2024-25.
Closing the gaps refers to a district or school's ability to ensure the success of all student groups and demographics. NISD had B ratings for both 2023-24 and 2024-25, going from an 81 to an 80 over the last two years.
Zooming out
According to the TEA, 31% of schools across the state earned a B rating in 2023-24 and 33% secured a B rating from last year. Only 18% of schools earned an A rating two years ago and 23% received an A rating in 2024-25, according to Community Impact reporting.
Of Texas' 1,208 school districts, 24% received a higher rating from 2023-24 to 2024-25, while 64% kept the same rating and 12% received a lower rating, according to TEA data.
Ratings for the 2024-25 school year were always scheduled to be released Aug. 15, but data from 2023-24 was blocked from being released due to a pending lawsuit.
TEA Commissioner Mike Morath announced July 25 that both ratings will be released on the same day. The 2023-24 ratings were blocked for nearly one year after 33 school districts across Texas sued the TEA last August, according to previous reporting.
The districts said the TEA 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.
That ruling was tossed out by the Texas’ 15th Court of Appeals July 3.
The 2022-23 rankings were not released until April 24 due to a lawsuit filed on behalf of more than 100 Texas ISDs that stated the new system would unlawfully lower those districts’ ratings. That lawsuit was overturned April 3 by the state's 15th Court of Appeals, according to previous reporting.
Hannah Norton contributed to this report.
