The Texas Education Agency (TEA) released the state’s 2026 A-F accountability ratings Friday, giving parents and the public a new look at academic performance across Texas public school districts and campuses.
The 2026 ratings reflect performance data from the 2025-26 school year and are available through TXschools.gov. TEA’s 2026 accountability calendar identifies the August release as preliminary ratings, with final ratings scheduled for December following the appeals process.
TEA reported that 24% of districts and campuses improved their overall rating compared with 2025, while 585 campuses moved from a rating below A to an A.
Overall, 85% of campuses receiving an A-F rating earned a C or higher, according to TEA. Under the state’s accountability system, ratings of A, B and C represent acceptable performance, while D and F ratings indicate unacceptable performance.
High-Poverty Schools Show Improvement
The TEA also highlighted performance among high-poverty campuses.
In 2026, 49% of high-poverty campuses receiving an A-F rating earned either an A or B, compared with 47% in 2025. The agency also reported that the percentage of F-rated campuses declined statewide.
Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath said the ratings demonstrate progress while identifying areas where schools still need improvement.
“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,” Morath said.
Morath added that the ratings are intended to give parents and the public accessible information about school performance.
The A-F system was established in 2017 through House Bill 22 and evaluates public schools using three primary domains: Student Achievement, School Progress and Closing the Gaps.
How Texas Schools Are Rated
The three domains measure different aspects of school performance:
Student Achievement considers measures such as STAAR performance, graduation rates, and college, career, and military readiness.
School Progress examines academic growth and how campuses perform relative to similar schools.
Closing the Gaps evaluates performance among specific student groups and whether disparities in academic outcomes are narrowing.
TEA said the 2026 accountability system contains no changes to the cut points, domain and indicator methodology or overall accountability system. The agency made only minor updates for 2026, including a change involving College, Career and Military Readiness credit for industry-based certifications.
The ratings therefore are not simply a calculation of one year’s STAAR scores. They combine multiple measures designed to provide a broader assessment of campus and district performance.
Dallas ISD Posts Another Improvement
Among North Texas districts, Dallas Independent School District improved its overall rating to a B with a scaled score of 85, according to the district’s preliminary 2026 results.
That compares with a score of 83 in 2025 and represents continued improvement from the district’s recent performance.
Dallas ISD also reported that more than 70% of its campuses earned an A or B and that no district high school received a D or F rating.
Several Dallas high schools made notable gains, including Dr. L.G. Pinkston Sr. High School, South Oak Cliff High School, Skyline High School and David W. Carter High School, which the district reported earned A ratings.
The results build on gains Dallas ISD reported in its 2025 accountability results. The district said the number of A-rated campuses increased from 30 to 60, while more than 70% of its campuses earned at least a B.
South Oak Cliff, in particular, has shown sustained improvement. Its 2025 overall accountability score was 89, a B, with an A in the Closing the Gaps domain.
Fort Worth ISD Remains Under State Oversight
Fort Worth Independent School District improved its overall accountability score in the 2026 ratings, rising from 73 to 77 while retaining a C rating, according to preliminary district results.
The district received 17 A-rated campuses, 38 B-rated campuses, 43 C-rated campuses, 19 D-rated campuses and seven F-rated campuses in the 2026 ratings. The number of campuses receiving D or F ratings declined from the previous year.
The results come as Fort Worth ISD remains under state-appointed leadership following a state intervention tied to the district’s academic performance, as The Dallas Express previously reported. TEA appointed Superintendent Peter Licata and a nine-member Board of Managers on March 24, 2026, following years of academic performance concerns. The Dallas Express previously reported on the district’s accountability challenges and later covered academic gains under the state-appointed leadership.
The intervention followed the Leadership Academy at Forest Oak Sixth Grade receiving five consecutive unacceptable accountability ratings, reaching the statutory threshold in 2023. TEA later determined that closing the campus did not resolve broader concerns that warranted continued state intervention.
Under Texas’ A-F accountability system, campuses and districts are evaluated using measures in three domains: Student Achievement, School Progress and Closing the Gaps. The system considers academic performance, student growth and outcomes among student groups, with STAAR results among the measures used in the calculations.
Texas law provides mechanisms for state intervention when districts or campuses meet specified conditions involving unacceptable academic performance. Repeated years of unacceptable performance can result in progressively stronger interventions, including requirements for improvement plans, governance changes and, in certain circumstances, appointment of a board of managers.
Ratings Are Preliminary
Texas school districts and open-enrollment charter schools have an opportunity to appeal their accountability ratings. Under the TEA’s 2026 appeals process, the appeals window lasts 30 calendar days after the ratings are released. The agency’s published timeline states that final ratings are released after the appeal process and subsequent review period.
TEA’s 2026 accountability calendar calls for final ratings to be released in December 2026.
That means some district or campus ratings could change before the results become final.
Parents Can Check Their Local Schools
The 2026 ratings give parents another tool for evaluating the academic performance of their children’s schools, while the underlying domain and indicator results provide additional information beyond the overall letter grade.
Through TXschools.gov, users can search for schools by address, examine individual campus ratings, and compare schools across various measures. TEA also provides detailed accountability reports and data through its 2026 Accountability Rating System resources.
For parents, the letter grade provides a quick snapshot, but the underlying domain scores can provide additional context about where a school is succeeding — and where it may need improvement.
The TEA’s release comes as Texas continues to place greater emphasis on measurable academic outcomes and intervention for persistently underperforming schools. The agency has already identified campuses receiving D or F ratings for potential school-improvement interventions under state and federal accountability requirements.
The 2026 ratings remain preliminary, and final results are expected later this year after the appeals process is completed.
Provided by Dallas Express
