Houston ISD Superintendent Mike Miles, who was appointed by the Texas Education Agency in 2023, hosted a news conference Sept. 9, promising that by the start of the 2027-28 school year, all 273 schools will be A- or B-rated.

Zooming in

TEA released A-F accountability ratings for the 2024-25 and 2023-24 school years Aug. 15, with HISD scores for the 2024-25 school year showing that the district had no failing F-rated campuses. According to TEA data, HISD had 73 campuses earn an A, 124 earn a B, 54 earn a C and 18 earn a D.

“We went from 93 A and B campuses two years ago to 197,” Miles said. “And beyond the ratings ... what's really happening is that you have kids who can read at grade level more than any other time. Yes, growth is important, and we are growing like never before, and we are achieving more than ever before.”

According to HISD data, student achievement increased across all reading and math exams.
Additional data by the district also showed that secondary students closed or erased performance gaps when compared to the state.
Data also compiled by the district showed the increase in the percentage points of students achieving growth since 2022-2023 in reading by group, which included:
  • All students: 13.9
  • Black: 15.2
  • Hispanic: 15.1
  • White: 7.4
  • Economically disadvantaged: 14.8
  • Student with disabilities: 14.2
  • Emergent bilingual: 14.2
“The hope and the belief is that our kids, all kids, can learn and achieve at high levels,” Miles said. “We have broken the myth that a student who is poor and a minority can’t learn at high levels, that those schools have to be low performing. That myth is gone now, and anybody who says it’s too tough to do ... in HISD, we are saying, ‘No, they can.’ You raise the expectation for kids, and they will meet it.”


How it happened

Miles pointed to the district's wholesale systemic reform as the reason for the increase in accountability ratings and growth, with a focus on rigorous instruction, staffing attention and leadership development.

Some examples of Miles’ systemic reform include the introduction of the NES model at 130 campuses, which requires teachers to follow daily structured lesson plans, as well as a new teacher evaluation system.

According to previous Community Impact reporting, teachers had mixed views on the new systemic reform, with some praising the changes and others opposing them.


Looking ahead

However, despite recent gains and controversies, Miles said the district is aiming to improve even further in the next one to two years, with his promise to have all schools in HISD be A- or B-rated by August 2027.

“This is all of our success, and all of our future effort,” Miles said. “This will be to the benefit of all Houstonians and not just the kids in HISD.”

Miles said the district has reached out to Houston area businesses and organizations at a recent Greater Houston Partnership meeting to partner with HISD to help achieve their goal.


Alexandra Elizondo, chief of public affairs and communications for HISD, said the partnerships will include business leaders “adopting” or sponsoring a school with a C or D rating, which includes funding two teacher appreciation lunches, student celebrations, campus cleanup days and donating dollars to principals to use for the academic needs of students.

According to TEA data, in the 2024-25 school year, the district still had 54 campuses receive a C and 18 earn a D.