After legal battles, the ratings for the 2023-24 school year were released Aug. 15 along with the 2024-25 ratings. For the 2023-24 school year, JISD received a C rating with 70 out of 100 possible points.
Digging deeper
Texas schools are rated on an A-F scale based on the criteria of student achievement, student progress and closing opportunity gaps, according to Community Impact reporting.
JISD was one of 139 Texas districts evaluated by the TEA to receive a D rating, accounting for 11.6% of Texas districts. The district was one of 392 districts to receive a C for 2023-24, making up 32.9% of evaluated districts, according to the TEA.
The district’s 2024-25 student enrollment was 23,505. Of those, 71.8% of students were economically disadvantaged, 19.9% were in special education programs and 13.7% were either emergent bilingual or English learners, according to TEA data.
Average district attendance for the year was 92.3%. Over a quarter of students, 25.2%, were marked chronically absent, missing 10% or more of the school year.
Of the 34 Judson ISD campuses that received a rating for 2024-25:
- 2 received an A rating
- 3 received a B rating
- 12 received a C rating
- 11 received a D rating
- 6 received an F rating
Judson elementary schools averaged a 70.2, middle schools averaged a 66 and high schools averaged a 80.8.
The 18 Judson campuses with 75% or more economically disadvantaged populations averaged a 66, while the 16 campuses under that percentage averaged a 76.4.
Despite the overall economic gap, several Judson campuses saw strong scores despite economic disparity. Franz Leadership Academy scored a B rating of 87 out of 100 points with a 76.1% disadvantaged population, while Crestview Elementary scored one of the district’s two A ratings with a 64.9% disadvantaged population.
Speaking to reporters on Aug. 14, TEA Commissioner Mike Morath said that examples of economically disadvantaged students “learning and demonstrating that knowledge at the highest level” shows that the ratings are “an accurate reflection of how well we have supported our students.”
“We have a huge number of proof points in Texas that poverty is not destiny ... you have schools all over the state that have some truly challenging circumstances that they are helping students overcome,” Morath said.
The context
Statewide, Judson was part of the 12% of school district receiving a lower rating between the 2023-24 and 2024-25 school years. According to TEA data, 24% of districts improved A-F ratings while 64% kept the same rating.
The 2023-24 ratings release on the same day as 2024-25 came after 33 school districts sued the TEA in August 2024.
The districts argued that the agency made it “mathematically impossible” for some schools to earn a high score, and that districts weren’t properly notified about changes to the state accountability system, according to previous Community Impact reporting.
A July ruling by the Texas’ 15th Court of Appeals that the 2023-24 ratings could be released was followed by a TEA announcement for the Aug. 15 release date.
