Magnolia ISD received a “B” for the 2022-23 school year with 85 out of 100 possible points, according to the TEA.
The announcement follows an April 3 ruling by Texas’ 15th Court of Appeals, which overturned a lower court's injunction that had blocked the 2023 ratings for over a year.
In August 2023, over 100 school districts sued TEA Commissioner Mike Morath, arguing the agency’s revamped accountability system was “unlawful” and would unfairly harm school districts, Community Impact previously reported.
Some context
A-F ratings for school districts were first issued in 2018, according to an April 24 TEA news release. The method for calculating the 2022-23 ratings was refreshed, as is required every five years.
The ratings are based on factors such as the annual State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness; academic growth; high school graduation rates; and how prepared students are for college, a career or the military, Community Impact previously reported.
Across Texas, nearly 11% of school districts received an "A" rating for the 2022-23 school year. Forty percent of districts earned a "B," while about 32% scored a "C," 14% received a "D" and about 3% received an "F," according to the TEA.
TISD had 21,335 students enrolled in the 2022-23 school year, according to TEA data. 31.5% of those students were economically disadvantaged, while 9.9% were enrolled in special education. 13.7% of TISD students in 2022-23 were emergent bilingual students.
Out of TISD’s campuses that received ratings:
- 15 received an A
- Six received a B
Out of MISD’s campuses that received ratings:
- Five received an A
- Nine received a B
- One received a C
Texas school districts last received ratings through the A-F system for the 2021-22 school year, when about one-third of districts statewide earned an "A" rating for 2021-22, and slightly more than half earned a "B," according to the TEA.
TISD’s ratings since the 2018-19 school year are as follows:
- 2018-19: A (92)
- 2019-20: Not rated due to the COVID-19 pandemic
- 2020-21: Not rated due to the COVID-19 pandemic
- 2021-22: A (95)
- 2022-23: A (91)
- 2018-19: B (87)
- 2019-20: Not rated due to the COVID-19 pandemic
- 2020-21: Not rated due to the COVID-19 pandemic
- 2021-22: A (91)
- 2022-23: B (85)
- “This is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our teachers, campus administrators, and students. We also extend our sincere appreciation to our parents for their continued support and partnership. This collective accomplishment reflects our shared commitment to providing an exceptional educational experience for every child in Tomball ISD,” TISD Superintendent Martha Salazar-Zamora said via an April 24 news release.
- “The 2023 accountability ratings represent both a benchmark and an opportunity for growth,” MISD Chief Academic Officer Brandon Garza said in an email statement April 24. “With the new system, most districts across the state showed a decline in student achievement. However, we are pleased with our ability to maintain performance and outscore peer districts. Standardized tests offer a snapshot, but the true measure of our progress is the incredible work our teachers do every day.”
The TEA remains blocked from issuing ratings for the 2023-24 school year due to a separate lawsuit, which is pending in the state appeals court. Morath also said the TEA intends to release ratings for 2024-25 on Aug. 15, per state law.
“A-F ratings are very public, and so that is a leadership challenge that our leaders bear, but this is the cross that we bear for being publicly funded and having the public’s children in our schools. It’s up to us to operate with the highest degree of transparency to deliver the best outcomes that we can for our kids,” Morath said April 22.
Reporter Hannah Norton contributed to this report.
