Our school rankings tell us where students are thriving.This year, ACCOLADES asks what helped them get there.

On Friday, October 16, 2026, at 11AM, CHILDREN AT RISK will host its annual ACCOLADES Luncheon at the beautiful Hotel ZaZa Museum District in Houston, featuring a special one-on-one conversation with Texas Commissioner of Education Mike Morath, the state’s top education official, moderated by C@R President & CEO Dr. Bob Sanborn. We are honored to be joined by Honorary Chair Ric Campo, Chairman and CEO of Camden Property Trust and Chair of the Houston ISD Board of Managers.

Held in anticipation of the release of C@R’s 2025-2026 Texas School Rankings, this luncheon brings together the leaders shaping the future of Texas education. From the Commissioner who oversees every public school in Texas to the chair guiding our state’s largest school district, attendees will have access to firsthand insight into what today’s education data reveals about student achievement, school performance, and the critical supports children need from their earliest years through graduation and beyond.

For more than two decades, CHILDREN AT RISK has ranked Texas public schools to recognize campuses going above and beyond for students and to help families, educators, policymakers, and community leaders better understand student performance across the state. Our rigorous rankings have served as the state’s most trusted independent measure of school performance, recognizing campuses going above and beyond for students and helping millions of families, educators, policymakers, and community leaders better understand student achievement across Texas.

Join us for this gathering of advocates, a dining experience, and a thoughtful look at what it will take to build stronger futures for children across Texas. We hope you will join us as a sponsor of the ACCOLADES Luncheon and help elevate this important conversation ahead of CHILDREN AT RISK’s 2025-2026 Texas School Rankings release.