Education
BY ANGELA BONILLA, HANNAH NORTON & JULIANNA WASHBURN
Montgomery County-area districts receive TEA accountability ratings
Digging deeper
Elementary and middle school ratings are largely based on the State of Texas Assess- ments of Academic Readiness, which students begin taking in third grade. High school ratings are based on the STAAR and how well students are prepared for success after graduation. Districts and campuses that scored a D or F may receive extra resources and support from the state, per the TEA. Under state law, if at least one campus in a school district receives a failing grade for five consecutive years, the commissioner is required to close that campus or appoint a board of managers. “We’re particularly proud that Conroe ISD maintains zero ‘F’ rated campuses, while con- tinuing to elevate student achievement across all schools,” Stewart said. In all three districts for 2024-25, no cam- puses scored an F. For 2023-24, one campus— WISD’s Lynn Lucas Middle School—scored an F. State law requires that annual A-F ratings be issued by Aug. 15 of each year; however, the 2024 ratings were blocked for nearly one year after 33 school districts sued the TEA last August, arguing that the agency made it “mathematically impossible” for some schools to earn a high score and waited too long to notify districts about changes to the state accountability system. Texas’ 15th Court of Appeals ruled in July that the 2024 ratings could be released, and the TEA later announced they would be issued alongside the 2025 ratings. “Millions of dollars and thousands of hours ... have been invested in creating the A-F ratings system; courts can decide only whether it is legal, not whether it is wise or fair, much less commandeer the job of running it,” Chief Justice Scott Brister wrote in the ruling.
New data shows Conroe ISD earned a B rating, or a score of 85 out of 100, for both the 2023-24 and 2024-25 school years, per the Texas Education Agency’s A-F ratings released Aug. 15. Meanwhile, Montgomery ISD received a B for 2023-24 with an 86 and a B with an 87 for 2024-25; and Willis ISD received a C for 2023-24 with a 73, and a C with a 77 for 2024-25. Schools are rated by the TEA on an A-F scale based on three criteria: student achievement, school progress and closing the gaps. In a statement, Andrew Stewart, executive director of communications for CISD, said many campuses saw improvement in 2024-25. “Several campuses advanced from a ‘C’ rating or below to an ‘A’ or ‘B’ rating, which is a testament to effective teaching and targeted Superintendent Mark Ruffin said the district is “encouraged that ... our overall rating has improved each year.” WISD Superintendent Kimberley James said in an Aug. 15 news release that “the data confirms that our district’s focus, commitment and collaboration are delivering results.” In all three districts, more campuses received an A rating in 2024-25 than in 2023-24. In CISD, 28 campuses received an A rating in 2024-25, which is seven more than in 2023-24. For 2024-25, WISD saw two campuses achieve A ratings, versus none in 2023-24; and three MISD campuses received an A rating in 2024- 25, compared to one in 2023-24. support strategies,” Stewart said. In an Aug. 15 news release, MISD
Local districts’ accountability ratings
2023-24 2024-25
Conroe ISD A-F ratings
30 25 20 15 10 5 0
Rating B C D F
A
Montgomery ISD A-F ratings
10 8 6 4 2 0
A
Rating B C D F
Willis ISD A-F ratings
4 3 2 1 0
Rating B C D F
A
SOURCE: TEXAS EDUCATION AGENCY/COMMUNITY IMPACT
Put in perspective
Statewide campus performance
2024-25
2023-24
“Telling a parent today how well their school did in 2024 doesn’t help them with the supports they need to provide their kid [now],” Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath told reporters Aug. 14. “It is great now to have this tool back to help support our families [and] also support our educators.”
Across the state, most school districts and campuses maintained or improved their A-F ratings between the two school years. Of the 1,208 school districts across Texas, data shows 24% received a higher rating, 64% kept the same rating and 12% received a lower rating. Of the state’s 9,084 campuses, 15% received a lower grade, according to the data.
A: 23% B: 33% C: 24% D: 10% F: 4% Not rated: 6%
A: 18% B: 31% C: 25% D: 14% F: 8% Not rated: 6%
NOTE: PERCENTAGES MAY NOT ADD UP TO 100% DUE TO ROUNDING. SOURCE: TEXAS EDUCATION AGENCY/COMMUNITY IMPACT
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CONROE - MONTGOMERY EDITION
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