IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 15, 2025

The 2025 TEA Accountability Ratings show what is possible when improvement is measured and made public. For the first time in years, Houston ISD has no F-rated campuses, and districts with large percentages of low-income students are making meaningful gains. Over the last two decades, schools serving high-need populations have improved, and we know this because the data shows it.

Sustaining our progress means being able to measure growth consistently over time. As lawmakers consider replacing STAAR with shorter, year-round assessments, Texas must ensure that any change preserves the comparability and reliability of these ratings. STAAR is the backbone of our system, and removing it without a proven alternative risks undermining accuracy and public trust.

Parents deserve to know how well their schools are performing through accurate, comparable data. The state’s A to F accountability ratings make that possible, giving families and communities a clear way to track progress and hold leaders accountable. Children at Risk builds on state accountability data with our annual Texas School Rankings, incorporating SAT and ACT results, graduation rates, and advanced course participation. These measures confirm the trends seen in STAAR and provide a fuller picture of student readiness. 

Without measurable transparency, we are at the mercy of political talking points instead of data-driven evidence. Texas must preserve accountability measures that empower parents, spotlight what works, and ensure every child has access to an outstanding education. If STAAR is replaced, any new system must deliver the same level of accuracy and comparability from day one, or we risk losing the very accountability that has fueled decades of progress.