The ratings rank public schools across the state based on academic performance, student growth, college and career readiness and other variables.
Why now?
The A-F system was established in 2017 with the goal of releasing ratings each year as an effort to provide transparency for the public, per TEA.
Since 2017, ratings were not released for the 2019-20 and 2020-21 school years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While results were released in 2021-22, ratings were impacted from the pandemic alongside not being able to post D and F ratings within that year, according to an April 24 news release.
Criteria for ratings was updated for the 2022-23 school year, leading to districts across the state joining a lawsuit to prevent the release of rating due to not having enough time to prepare for the new criteria.
Breaking it down
Overall, Boerne ISD received an A rating for the year, marking four high ratings in a row for the school district.
The three primary categories rated include student achievement, school progress and closing the gap.
For BISD, the school progress category was the only section rated a B, which highlights challenges in academic growth.
Despite this being the lowest rated category, it is not an indication of the school district being unable to develop student needs.
In March, district staff and the board of trustees reviewed State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness, or STAAR, results that revealed the district was performing at a higher average than the region and state results.
During that meeting, staff highlighted that when students are performing at a higher level, it provides a challenge to improve growth.
Across Texas, nearly 11% of school districts received an A rating for the 2022-23 school year, 40% of districts earned a B, 32% scored a C, 14% received a D, and about 3% received an F, according to the TEA.
Zooming in
Each campus within the district receives a separate rating, highlighting differences in each school that make up the comprehensive rating.
All but two BISD campuses received an A rating, with Curington Elementary and Herff Elementary both receiving a B rating.
Curington Elementary was just shy of an A rating, receiving 89 out of 100 possible points. The student achievement and school progress categories each rated at a B, scoring 89 out of 100 and 88 out of 100, respectively.
Herff Elementary scored 85 out 100 overall, with the lowest rated categories being school progress and closing the gaps, each scoring a C rating with 73 out of 100 and 72 out of 100, respectively. Herff Elementary was the only school to receive a C rating in the three primary categories.
Across the state in 2023, 1,646 campuses earned an A; 2,873 campuses scored a B; 2,107 campuses received a C; 1,264 campuses received a D; and 649 campuses scored an F, according to the report.
Something to note
Since ratings were delayed due to litigation, the results represent where the district and schools were at in the 2022-23 school year, highlighting where BISD stood two school years ago.
According to the April 24 news release, TEA is prevented from sharing more recent school ratings from the 2023-24 school year due to a separate, ongoing lawsuit.
School performance ratings from the 2024-25 school year are expected to be issued in August.
