Texas A-F ratings show more campuses earning top marks

Texas Education Agency released 2026 A-F ratings showing 61% of the state’s roughly 9,000 public school campuses earned an A or B, up from 59% last year. Texas 2036 says the results point to steady improvement, especially at high-poverty campuses, even as some low-performing schools continue to struggle.

Why it matters: - The ratings give parents a statewide snapshot of school performance and show where students are learning well or falling behind. - The 2026 results point to broader improvement, including more high-poverty campuses earning top grades. - The numbers also help state and local leaders target support to campuses that still need it most.

What happened: - The Texas Education Agency released 2026 A-F accountability ratings for the state’s roughly 9,000 public school campuses. - 61% of campuses earned an A or B, up from 59% in 2025. - 396 high-poverty campuses received an A this school year. - 585 campuses moved from below an A in 2025 to an A in 2026. - Texas 2036 published more analysis and resources on the ratings at Texas A-F school ratings.

The details: - Texas’ A-F system measures campuses, districts and charter systems across student achievement, school progress and closing achievement gaps. - High schools, districts and charter systems are also rated on college, career or military readiness. - Among campuses with 80% or more economically disadvantaged students, 396 earned an A in 2026. - Examples included Dovalina Elementary in Laredo ISD, Goodrich High School in Goodrich ISD, Tool Elementary in Malakoff ISD and Valley View South Elementary in Valley View ISD. - The share of campuses earning an F fell from 5% in 2025 to 4% in 2026. - Texas 2036 said the statewide results were relatively stable compared with 2025, without the large year-over-year shifts seen in some earlier rating cycles.

Between the lines: - The gains at high-poverty campuses suggest some schools are improving despite higher student needs. - The stability in the statewide results suggests Texas’ school performance is moving gradually, not through a dramatic shift. - The remaining failures point to a long tail of campuses that continue to need deeper intervention. - Texas 2036 said tracking school performance over time helps leaders see what is working and where additional support is needed.

What's next: - Texas 2036 says House Bill 2’s $8.5 billion public school finance and reform package should help more campuses improve. - The package includes support for Resource Campuses, private tutoring for struggling students and intervention programs for students who repeatedly fall behind. - Texas 2036 says early reading and math strategies remain especially important at elementary schools. - The organization says the next challenge is using the data to help more schools improve so no Texas student attends a failing campus.

The bottom line: - Texas schools are improving overall, but the state still faces persistent pockets of low performance that will require targeted help, especially at chronically struggling campuses.