Texas public schools saw modest improvement in the state's latest accountability ratings, with roughly one-quarter of districts and campuses earning higher grades than they did last year, according to data released Friday by the Texas Education Agency.
The agency's 2026 A-F ratings include more than 1,200 school districts and charter systems and about 9,100 campuses. The grades are meant to give families a snapshot of how schools are performing, based largely on standardized test scores, student academic growth and how well schools are closing achievement gaps.
The ratings can also carry significant consequences: Schools that repeatedly receive failing grades can face closure, while entire districts can ultimately be placed under state control.
About 24% of districts and campuses improved their letter grade from 2025. Statewide, 85% of campuses that received a grade earned a C or better, which the state considers acceptable academic performance.
About 6% campuses — 585 schools — improved enough to earn an A after receiving a lower grade last year. About 8% received a D or F, and some campuses weren't rated at all.
"This year's A-F ratings illustrate the progress Texas public schools are making and acknowledge the hard work of our educators while illuminating areas of needed improvement to ensure that all students have access to a high-quality education," said Education Commissioner Mike Morath in a statement.
Families can search for individual schools and districts and see more detailed results at TXschools.gov.
How some of Texas' largest school districts fared
Houston ISD, the state's largest school district, earned a B overall. The district has seen significant improvement since the state took control of it in 2023.
Of the 272 HISD campuses included in the state's 2026 accountability results, 92 earned an A and 113 earned a B. Another 46 received a C, nine received a D and five received an F. Seven campuses were not rated.
Austin ISD also earned a B, though more of its campuses received failing grades. Of the district's 122 campuses, 28 earned an A and 33 earned a B. Another 22 received a C, 11 received a D and 20 received an F. Eight campuses were not rated.
Of Dallas ISD's 237 campuses, 48 earned an A and 116 received a B. Another 52 received a C, 13 received a D and two received an F. Six campuses were not rated. The district earned a B rating overall.
Northside ISD, the largest school district in the San Antonio area, earned a C. Eight campuses earned an A and 43 received a B, while 47 received a C. Another 15 received a D and five received an F.
Ratings can carry major consequences
The state's A-F grades aren't just report cards. Repeated failing ratings can trigger state intervention in a school district.
That's now a major concern in Austin ISD, where Burnet and Webb middle schools received their fifth consecutive failing ratings this year. The results trigger a state law requiring the education commissioner to either close the campuses or replace the district's elected school board with a state-appointed board of managers.
Austin ISD Superintendent Matias Segura told families in an email that the state ratings were only "one measure" of the district's progress, while acknowledging significant challenges remain as the district faces the possibility of a state takeover.
"While we cannot ignore what is happening outside our schools, it is essential that we keep our focus firmly on who is inside our classrooms: our students," Segura wrote. "We will face these realities head-on and dedicate our energy entirely to high-quality teaching and learning."
A state takeover would put Austin ISD in a situation similar to Houston ISD, where TEA replaced the elected school board with a state-appointed board of managers in 2023 after years of poor academic performance at Wheatley High School.
Since then, Houston ISD has seen a sharp decline in the number of schools receiving D or F ratings. In 2023, 120 campuses received a failing grade. This year, that number fell to 14.
Wheatley, the campus whose years of poor performance helped trigger the takeover, earned an A this year.
Years of legal fights over the ratings
Texas' A-F accountability system has faced years of legal challenges from school districts that argued changes to the state's methodology unfairly lowered their grades.
In 2023, more than 120 school districts sued to block that year's ratings after TEA overhauled its accountability system and raised the threshold schools needed to meet to earn higher grades. The districts argued the state didn't give them enough notice before the changes, some of which weren't finalized until after the school year had ended.
A separate lawsuit filed by more than 30 districts blocked the release of the 2024 ratings. That case challenged changes to the state's standardized tests, including the use of an automated computer system to help grade written responses.
Those lawsuits delayed the release of ratings for multiple school years. An appeals court eventually cleared the way for those ratings to be released, and the TEA published the delayed 2024 ratings alongside its 2025 results last August.
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