Report cards are in: TEA releases school districts’ marks
When it comes to the testing of public schools in the Lone Star State, it’s almost reminiscent of an old H-E-B grocery store.
Just when you got used to where items were stocked, H-E-B would prove helpful by changing everything around. What was once on aisle 10 was now on aisle 2 and vice versa.
Who could keep up? Learn the new store layout, and management would change it again. That changed, for the most part, in the mid-2000s when the bigger H-E-Bs became more common.
For several decades, with regard to public education, Texas followed the same pattern — get used to one thing, and let’s change things up to stress out more educators, students, and parents. Life isn’t stressful enough, let’s pile on some more stress just to turn your hair gray that much sooner and your child into a stressed-out basket case.
Many Acronyms
When Texas started with its standardized school testing in 1980, the test was called TABS (Texas Assessment of Basic Skills).
In 1984, the Texas Legislature passed HB 72, designed to address concerns about declining literacy rates among Texas students by introducing accountability measures.
That same bill, 72, changed TABS to TEAMS (Texas Educational Assessment of Minimum Skills), which was the first state assessment that students had to pass to receive a high school diploma, implemented in 1986.
TABS, TEAMS, what’s next?
In 1991, the standardized test was changed to TAAS (Texas Assessment of Academic Skills). It was like someone was deciding what new acronym sounded best in the next Star Wars movie.
TREK? Close, but, no, the next mandated school test with a new catchy acronym was the TAKS (Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills) standardized test.
TREK’s second cousin. In 2012, Texas settled on STAAR (State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness) tests, which recognized school districts as either Exemplary, Recognized, Academically Acceptable, or Academically Unacceptable.
That grading system was changed in 2017 (House Bill 22) to the current A-F accountability system. The grades were then first published the following year.
Why? Because state lawmakers thought “Recognized” and “Acceptable” were somewhat confusing to parents, and for the sake of transparency, an A through F grading system was more easily explained.
Moving forward, now that we have a quorum in the Texas Legislature’s second special session this summer, the STAAR end-of-year test may be replaced with three shorter tests handed out to students throughout the year – beginning, middle, and end.
The end-of-year test would be the only mandatory one for the sake of school district accountability. The beginning and middle-of-year tests, say lawmakers, are designed to provide teachers with real-time data on student progress and allow for adjustments to instruction.
Each of these standardized tests, by the way, including all the acronyms, spread out over the past four decades, have made millions, billions for some private companies who produce the testing materials across multiple states, and who have enjoyed the advantage of nobid contracts. The fact that they contribute to political campaigns is simple coincidence. Nothing more.
Meanwhile, the TEA (Texas Education Agency) released this year’s Accountability Ratings last week in the form of a press release, which is printed below.
The TEA Report
The Texas Education Agency (TEA) released the 2025 A-F Accountability Ratings (last Friday) for public school systems and campuses across the state. Additionally, the delayed 2024 ratings have been made available to school systems and the public following the resolution of legal proceedings that previously prevented their release.
The release of the 2025 A-F Ratings reestablishes critical transparency for Texas families, communities and school leaders after two years of lawsuit- induced delays.
“Today marks a return to clarity and accountability. With the release of the 2025 A–F Ratings, we are reinforcing our commitment to transparency and to providing accurate, readily available information that helps every family understand how their school is doing,” said Texas Education Commissioner, Mike Morath.
All told, 1,208 districts and 9,084 campuses were rated in 2025. Compared with 2024, 24 percent of districts and 31 percent of campuses improved their letter grade. Most campuses maintained their previous rating, and only a small portion—15 percent—saw a decline. Forty-three percent of high-poverty campuses in Texas were rated an A or B, continuing to prove that demographics do not equal destiny.
The A–F Accountability System was established in 2017 by the 85th Texas Legislature through House Bill (HB) 22 to provide clear and consistent information on how schools are performing in three key areas: Student Achievement, School Progress and Closing the Gaps. Designed to drive continuous improvement, the A-F system helps ensure that all students, regardless of background, have access to a high-quality education that prepares them for success after graduation. A-F Ratings help educators and school systems celebrate successes and focus support where it is needed most.
The A–F Accountability System is structured to balance rigor, fairness and transparency; establishing goals for preparing students for postsecondary success while acknowledging their effort and progress. A-F Ratings provide clear, accessible information on school and district performance, serving as an essential tool for parents, educators, policymakers and local communities to make informed decisions that support student success.
To view the 2025 A-F Ratings for school systems and campuses, visit TXschools.gov.