The Texas Education Agency released its 2023 school district ratings after overcoming legal challenges.
SAN ANTONIO — The Texas Education Agency released its 2023 A-F school district ratings Thursday morning after a lawsuit and later injunction to block the move.
The accountability ratings are given for each overall district and individual campus. The ratings are available here.
Some notable changes include a drop in ratings for several of San Antonio’s school districts. That is at least partially explained by the changes made to the rating system.
The TEA made changes to the 2023 accountability rating system, sparking a lawsuit from 120 districts across the state to block the release of the 2023 ratings.
The ratings consider standardized test results, annual academic growth, graduation rates and college, career and military readiness. The districts’ lawsuit alleged the changes were unfair because the new methods “were not provided to districts in the beginning of the 2022-2023 school year as required by state statute.”
A Travis County judge found that the state’s changes unlawful and the TEA appealed the decision. This month, the 15th Court of Appeals argued Morath did not overstep his authority as TEA commissioner when he changed the college readiness metrics that help determine schools’ performance ratings. That ruling allowed the 2023 A-F grades to be released.
There is also another lawsuit over the schools’ 2024 ratings awaiting a decision from the same appeals court.
How do the 2023 ratings compare to 2019?
The ratings accountability system was not published in 2020 or 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. And in 2022, the state only released A-C ratings. Any schools and districts that year rated below a C received a “not rated” designation. So the last year the complete A-F ratings were released was 2019.
Below, we are comparing the 2019 results to the 2023 results for the biggest districts in the area:
2019: B (83)
2023: C (70)
North East ISD:
2019: B (89)
2023: C (78)
Northside ISD
2019: B (87)
2023: C (77)
Judson ISD:
2019: B (83)
2023: D (69)
Southwest ISD:
2019: (B) 82
2023: C (75)
South San ISD:
2019: C (77)
2023: D (60)
Comal ISD:
2019: A (92)
2023: B (85)
Alamo Heights ISD:
2019: A (91)
2023: B (88)
Boerne ISD
2019: A (94)
2023: A (91)
Which schools received an A rating?
Due a change in the way the accountability rating is determined, it was harder for high schools to achieve an A rating. In previous years, high schools could achieve an A rating if at least 60 percent of graduating seniors attended college. This year, that number was moved to 88 percent. Still, a number of high schools, middle schools and elementaries managed to get an A rating. See the full list of campuses from the above districts. If your district is not on the list, click here to the see the full report.
- Advanced Learning Academy
- CAST Med
- Cooper Academy at Navarro
- Glen Elm at Riverside Park
- Healy Murphy Pre-K
- St. Philips Early College High School
- Travis Early College High School
- Young Women’s Leadership Academy
- Young Men’s Leadership Academy
North East ISD:
- Academy of Creative Education
- Bulverde Creek
- Castle Hills Elementary
- Encino Park Elementary
- Hardy Oak Elementary
- Hidden Forest
- Hill Elementary
- Huebner Elementary
- International School of the Americas
- Johnson High School
- Lopez Middle School
- Northwood Elementary
- Oak Elementary
- Olmos Elementary
- Redland Oaks Elementary
- Roan Forest Elementary
- Stone Oak Elementary
- Tejeda Middle School
- Wilderness Oak Elementary
Northside ISD
- Aue Elementary
- Beard Elementary
- Blattman Elementary
- Carson Elementary
- Garcia Middle School
- Health Careers High School
- Helotes Elementary
- Raba Elementary
Judson ISD:
- Judson Early College Academy
- Judson Learning Academy
Southwest ISD:
- CAST STEM High School
Comal ISD:
- Bill Brown Elementary
- Hill Country College Prep High School
- Hoffman Lane Elementary
- Indian Springs Elementary
- Kinder Ranch Elementary
- Memorial Early College High School
- Oak Creek Elementary
- Pieper High School
- Rahe Bulverde Elementary
- Rebecca Creek Elementary
- Smithson Valley Middle School
- Spring Branch Middle School
- Timberwood Park Elementary
Alamo Heights ISD:
- Alamo Heights Junior High
Boerne ISD:
- Boerne Champion High School
- Boerne High School
- Boerne Middle School North
- Boerne Middle School South
- Cibolo Creek Elementary
- Fabra Elementary
- Fair Oaks Ranch Elementary
- Kendall Elementary
- Van Raub Elementary
- Voss Middle School
Highlights of the report:
Most districts in the San Antonio area so an across-the-board drop in one or more letter grades since 2019, partly explained by the changes the state made to its rating system.
The biggest districts in San Antonio, SAISD, NEISD, and NISD, still had a big list of schools with an A-rating, showing excellence in those districts despite the changes. Suburban districts such at Boerne ISD and Comal ISD show sustained exellence, with several schools at all grade levels receiving an A-rating.