Texas Education Agency to Release 2024 A-F School Ratings Alongside 2025 Data
The Texas Education Agency (TEA) is set to unveil the 2024 A-F school and district accountability ratings this August, alongside the 2025 scores from the previous school year. This decision follows a recent ruling by a state appeals court that lifted an earlier injunction preventing the release of the 2024 data. The move marks a significant shift after years of legal challenges and delays that have impacted the transparency of school performance metrics across the state.
The A-F rating system evaluates schools based on several key factors, including student performance on standardized tests like the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR), graduation rates, and measures of college, career, and military readiness. These ratings are crucial for parents, educators, and local communities in understanding the quality of education provided at each school.
The 2024 ratings were originally delayed due to concerns raised by some school districts about the reliability of the STAAR test and its new automated grading system for essay questions. A group of districts filed a lawsuit, arguing that the changes to the testing process were not properly implemented and could lead to unfair evaluations. However, the 15th Court of Appeals, a conservative-majority court established in 2023, ruled that doubts about the data’s validity did not justify blocking the release of the ratings. The court emphasized that the responsibility of ensuring the accuracy of the data lies with the TEA, not the judiciary.
Legal Challenges and Delays
For three years, the A-F ratings were not released due to the pandemic, and for the past two years, they have been held back by court rulings. The latest decision allows the TEA to proceed with releasing the 2024 ratings, which will now be made public alongside the 2025 data. This simultaneous release is expected to provide a more comprehensive view of school performance over time.
The 15th Court of Appeals also addressed previous legal actions, including a 2023 injunction that was overturned in April. In its opinion, the court noted that while there may be concerns about the fairness or wisdom of certain decisions, it is not the role of the judiciary to override the authority of the TEA. Instead, the court emphasized that the agency has the legal right to update its accountability system at any point during the school year.
A local education nonprofit, Good Reason Houston, submitted an amicus brief supporting the release of the 2024 ratings. The organization argued that the ratings are essential for strategic planning and identifying schools in need of improvement. Businesses also rely on these ratings when making decisions about where to locate operations, as well as for employee recruitment and retention strategies.
Impact on Schools and Districts
Approximately 10% of Texas’s 1,200 school districts—about 120 districts—filed a lawsuit in 2023 to block the release of the 2022-23 ratings. They claimed that the delayed communication of grading guidelines created uncertainty, likening the situation to playing a sports game without knowing the rules until the final whistle. While the court acknowledged the challenges, it ruled that it was not their role to determine whether the commissioner’s decisions were necessary or fair.
Despite the legal hurdles, the 2023 ratings were eventually released in April, although they were based on data from two years prior. Four districts—Beaumont, Fort Worth, Midland, and Wichita Falls ISDs—may have met the criteria for state intervention, though no action has been taken yet. The possibility of intervention increases with the release of the 2024 and 2025 ratings, as districts will now have two additional years of performance data to evaluate.
Recent Trends and Performance Data
In 2023, 209 districts statewide received either a D or F designation. In the Houston area, no districts earned an F grade, but nine received a D. Most Houston-area districts received B or C grades, according to a Houston Chronicle analysis of data from over 1,400 campuses across 48 traditional districts.
However, the Houston region still saw 118 campuses earn an F and 229 earn a D. Additionally, 64 campuses were labeled "not-rated" due to exemptions or data issues.
Accessing the 2024 and 2025 Ratings
The 2024 ratings will be available to school leaders on August 13 and publicly on August 15. They can be accessed through the TEA’s official website, txschools.gov. Due to the delayed timeline, the 2024 scores will only appear in a historical context within the 2025 database. This means the 2024 data will be displayed as part of the “Change Over Time” section of the 2025 ratings.
As the TEA moves forward with the release of these important educational metrics, stakeholders across Texas will closely monitor how the ratings shape future policies, interventions, and school improvement efforts.