How we got here
The state’s A-F accountability system was designed in 2017 to measure student progress and preparation for the next grade level, Community Impact reported, with state law requiring that annual A-F ratings be issued by Aug. 15 of each year.
In 2023, over 100 Texas school districts sued TEA Commissioner Mike Morath, claiming updated scoring was "unlawful" and would unfairly harm them, delaying the 2022-23 scores until a court approved their release in April, Community Impact reported. The 2023-24 scores were also delayed nearly a year later in August 2024, when 33 districts argued the rising readiness standards made high scores mathematically impossible.
The TEA won both lawsuits, with Chief Justice Scott Brister of the 15th Court of Appeals ruling in July that the system was legal regardless of if “wise or fair.” Morath said “the parents lost” due to outdated information.
“It is great now to have this tool back to help support our families and educators,” he said.
Read more of Community Impact's statewide coverage of TEA accountability ratings here.
The results
Texas schools are rated A-F based on student achievement, school progress and closing achievement gaps, per a TEA news release. Elementary and middle school ratings are based on the State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness, or STAAR tests, which students begin taking in third grade, while high school ratings include STAAR results and post-graduation readiness, according to the release.
FBISD scored 80 out of 100 points for the 2024-25 school year, an increase from the stagnant 79 it scored for the previous three years, per the data.
The 2025 data showed that out of the 75 FBISD campuses that received ratings:
- 25 earned an A
- 30 earned a B
- 15 earned a C
- Seven earned a D
- Three earned an F
- Armstrong Elementary grew to a B rating in the 2024-25 school year following an F in 2023-24.
- Dulles Elementary, Glover Elementary, Lantern Lane, Rosa Parks Elementary, Hodges Bend Elementary and Thurgood Marshall High jumped to a C rating in the 2024-25 school year, up from a D in 2023-24.
Campuses that received a D or F for the 2023-24 or 2024-25 school year are considered “unacceptable” and are mandated to submit a turnaround plan for TEA approval by Nov. 14, according to the TEA. Under state law, schools with five consecutive failing grades must be closed or placed under a board of managers—such as Houston ISD, which has been under state direction since June 2023 and will be until 2027, Community Impact reported.
According to the 2024-25 school year data, FBISD schools with “unacceptable” ratings to watch for campus improvement include:
- Heritage Rose Elementary, Bush High and Hightower High, all of which received a D for the third year in a row since the 2022-23 school year
- Aldridge Elementary (Formerly Blue Ridge-Briargate Elementary) and Mission Elementary (formerly Mission Bend Glen Elementary), which both received a D for the second time since their creation in 2023-24
- Lake Olympia Middle and Burton Elementary, which jumped from an F in the 2022-23 school year to a D for the subsequent years
- Missouri City Middle and Willowridge High, which dropped from a D in the 2022-23 school year to an F for the subsequent years
- McAuliffe Middle, which received an F for the third consecutive year
Although the district has avoided state-mandated improvement due to the score delays, federally mandated improvement plans under the Every Student Succeeds Act have been issued to Aldridge Elementary, McAuliffe Middle, Willowridge High, Marshall High, Hunters Glen Elementary and Lantern Lane Elementary since the 2017-18 school year, per TEA data.
In February, officials said Marshall High, McAuliffe Middle, and Aldridge Elementary were to begin campus improvement plans for the 2025-26 school year after being federally ranked at the bottom 5% of Title I schools—where at least 40% of the student population is low-income—for academic performance for three years in a row.
In August, released scores showed Willowridge High rejoined the list after leaving in the 2023-24 school year, per the TEA data.
Zooming out
FBISD is part of 85% of campuses statewide that TEA Commissioner Mike Morath said received the same rating or improvement since the 2023-24 school year.
FBISD had a higher percentage of campuses in the A-range compared to the state and regional scores; however, it fell in line with other districts by having most campuses falling in the B-range, per the data.
District officials will discuss the accountability scores at the Aug. 18 board meeting, according to district documents.
Learn more about state, district or campus-specific information on the ratings at www.txschools.gov.
Community Impact reached out to FBISD to discuss the scores, but a comment was not returned by press time.
