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Denton ISD received an overall "C" rating from the Texas Education Agency’s 2025-26 accountability ratings.
The district’s overall score was 76 out of 100. The TEA released the ratings Aug. 14.
How it works
The TEA accountability ratings evaluate districts on what students learn, how prepared they are for the next grade, and how a district prepares students for college, a career or military service, per the agency’s website.
The ratings are broken into three categories: student achievement, school progress and closing the gaps. Student achievement is measured by graduation rates, performance on the STAAR test and how prepared students are for success after high school. DISD received a 77 out of 100 for student achievement.
The district received a "C" in the remaining two categories of school progress and closing the gaps. The school progress score was 73 out of 100 and closing the gaps was 75 out of 100.
The school progress category evaluates how students perform over time and how a district’s performance compares to other districts with similar economically disadvantaged student populations. Closing the gaps measures how well a district ensures all student groups are successful.
Zooming in
DISD had 43 campuses rated, with four receiving an "A" rating, 13 getting a "B" rating and 19 with a "C" rating. Paloma Creek Elementary, which was rated a "C," had its students rezoned for the 2026-27 school year and does not appear on the TEA’s list of rated campuses. The Denton County Juvenile Justice Alternative Education Program, Joe Dale Sparks Campus and Lester Davis School-DAEP were not rated.
The full breakdown includes:
Grades for individual campuses can be accessed through the TEA’s website.
Additionally, DISD saw gains of at least one letter grade at five of six campuses that received extra instructional coaches and interventionists, according to an Aug. 14 district news release. The biggest gain came at Providence Elementary, which gained 24 points, going from a "F" rating to a "B" rating.
"The success of Providence Elementary came from a collective commitment to changing outcomes for every student. We established a clear vision and focused our teachers on high-quality Tier 1 instruction, purposeful data use and consistent progress monitoring,” Melissa Bates, principal of Providence Elementary, said in the news release.
Some context
The A-F accountability rating system was created in 2017 by the 85th Texas Legislature through House Bill 22. The rating system is designed to provide clear, consistent information about school performance related to student achievement, closing the gaps and school progress.
Across Texas, 24% of school districts improved their accountability rating year over year, according to a TEA news release.
“This year’s A-F ratings illustrate the progress Texas public schools are making and acknowledge the hard work of our educators while illuminating areas of needed improvement to ensure that all students have access to a high-quality education,” Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath said in the news release.
Before you go
DISD has adopted new mathematics and language arts materials for the 2026-27 school year, per the news release.
The district is also implementing the Teacher Incentive Allotment for reading and mathematics at all campuses for the current school year. The Teacher Incentive Allotment is a state program that provides additional compensation for teachers based on student growth and classroom observation.
