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.
“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.
At a glance
Texas schools are rated on an A-F scale based on three criteria: student achievement, school progress and closing the gaps, as previously reported by Community Impact. 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.
KISD received 84 out of 100 points for 2023-24 and 86 out of 100 points for 2024-25, TEA data shows.
“We’re proud of the academic growth these results represent for our students and educators,” Chief Academic Officer Anthony Indelicato said in an Aug. 14 KISD news release. “We will continue working hard to ensure a bright future for all of our learners in KISD.”
Across the state, most school districts and campuses maintained or improved their A-F ratings between the 2023-24 and 2024-25 school years. Of Texas' 1,208 school districts, 24% received a higher rating, while 64% kept the same rating and 12% received a lower rating, TEA data shows.
Fourteen percent of districts received an A rating, 41% received a B, 30% earned a C, 12% earned a D and 3% scored an F.
“Year over year, our schools have gotten better across the state for our kids,” Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath told reporters Aug. 14.
KISD had 52,927 students enrolled for both 2023-24 and 2024-25, according to TEA’s A-F data. About 54.9% students were economically disadvantaged; 15.7% were in special education programs; and 22.2% were emergent bilingual students for 2023-24 and 2024-25, respectively, TEA data shows.
To view the updated accountability ratings for K-12 districts and individual campuses, visit www.txschools.gov.
What else?
Texas school districts last received ratings through the A-F system for the 2022-23 school year in April, according to prior reporting.
Since the A-F system's launch in 2017-18, KISD has received five official ratings due to three years of State of Disaster declarations. Those ratings are:
- 2017-18: not rated due to Hurricane Harvey
- 2018-19: B
- 2019-20: not rated due to the COVID-19 pandemic
- 2020-21: not rated due to the COVID-19 pandemic
- 2021-22: B
- 2022-23: B
- 2023-24: B
- 2024-25: B
