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Editors note: This story has been updated to include a statement from Tim Savoy, Hays CISD chief communications officer .
Hays CISD received a 'B' for the 2025-26 school year in the Texas Education Agency A-F accountability ratings. The district scored 81 out of 100 possible points.
The big picture
The results released on Aug. 14 signify the district’s fifth consecutive 'B' rating.
HCISD’s ratings include:
Seven campuses received a higher letter rating than the previous year, 14 received the same score and six earned a lower letter score. Of the district’s 29 campuses, one is unrated. The unrated campus, The Impact Center, is an alternative school.
A closer look
Per TEA standards, both 'D' and 'F' ratings are considered “unacceptable.” Two campuses, Hemphill Elementary and Uhland Elementary, fell within that range. Uhland Elementary dropped from a 'B' rating in 2024-25 to an 'F' in 2025-26.
Chief Communications Officer Tim Savoy said that the primary reason for the large drop in Uhland Elementary's score was that districtwide systems and practices were not being implemented well, in addition to some leadership vacancies. The district will implement a Comprehensive Support and Improvement Plan with targeted campus supports.
"We are confident we can get the campus back up to not only a passing grade, but one that much higher—similar to what it was in 2024-25," he said in an email to Community Impact.
This year’s results reflect the first year that either campus received an “unacceptable” score. If either campus receives another “unacceptable” rating next year, the district will be required by the TEA to implement a turnaround plan, which is a targeted intervention plan that must be submitted to and approved by the state.
The state may provide additional support or resources to campuses receiving an “unacceptable” rating, according to previous reporting by Community Impact.
Explained
The TEA ranks school districts on three metrics: student achievement, school progress and closing the gaps. The system is designed to drive continuous improvement, according to a news release from the TEA.
"We want to ensure that all children, regardless of their background and regardless of where they live, have access to a great school," Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath said at a press conference on Aug. 14. "But this is hard to do, so we use [A-F ratings] as a way to evaluate our own performance as adults, and then build action plans so that the way that we run our schools next year can be even better than last year."
Statewide, 24% of districts and campuses improved ratings from the previous year, and 85% of campuses achieved acceptable academic performance, the news release stated. Nearly 26% of HCISD campuses received a higher letter rating compared to the previous year, and more than 92% of campuses received an acceptable score.
Quote of note
"The rating system serves as a good alarm bell to alert you that something is working in cases like [Uhland Elementary],"Savoy said. "However, we also continue to emphasize that despite high stakes nature of the consequences of failing schools under the accountability testing system, we know that standardizes tests are just one measure of a school. There are so many other important things that happen at a campus that contribute to the quality of the school—often things that are not measured on standardized tests."
Before you go
The results released on Aug. 14 are preliminary, and the TEA will release final results at a later date. To view A-F school ratings, visit www.TXschools.gov.
