At Good Reason Houston, when we find what’s working, what’s bold, and quietly revolutionary, we learn from it, expand it, and build on what’s already taking root. That’s why we launched our Houston Schools That Inspire campaign. Celebrating excellence is a strategy for transformation.
This year’s state accountability data gives us even more reasons to celebrate. Nearly 145,000 more students now attend A- or B-rated schools compared to 2023 – that’s more than the total student enrollment of Dallas ISD, the second largest school district in Texas. Behind these numbers are educators seeing the results of their dedication, creativity, and care. While test scores only capture part of what makes education meaningful, this data reveals a growing abundance of success stories across our Houston community.
Most importantly, this year’s accountability results confirm what we witnessed firsthand from our 2025 Houston Schools That Inspire winners: excellence is not an accident, and when you get it right, it sustains.
Our Houston Schools That Inspire 2025 Winners: Still Leading the Way
Last year, we searched across the city for campuses that outperformed the state student achievement average, not just overall, but for every student population they served. Each campus was recognized for its student achievement scores and the inspiring ways in which it worked towards achieving those scores. The data shows that their inspiring approaches continue to deliver strong outcomes for students.
Melillo Middle School | Pasadena ISD: Melillo earned recognition for building a middle school culture around trust and a community of collaboration. Last year, they achieved an average of 15% points above the state and local average across each student population. This year, Melillo received an 88 for their overall accountability score largely driven by their impressive achievement gains amongst Black, economically disadvantaged, emergent bilingual, and Hispanic students – ranging from 4 to 12 percentage points above state average.
Harmony School of Fine Arts and Technology | Harmony Public Schools: Harmony earned recognition for their unwavering commitment to three foundational goals that drive every decision: academic excellence, character development, and community engagement. This clear alignment creates learning environments where creativity and academic rigor strengthen each other, reflected in their achievement of 10-21% points above the state and local average across each student population. This year, we continued to see Harmony excel with student achievement scores ranging from 3 to 19 percentage points above the state average for Black, economically disadvantaged, emergent bilingual, and Hispanic students, alongside an overall accountability score of 85.
Nitsch Elementary School | Klein ISD: Last year, Nitsch earned recognition for their systematic approach to using student data as the foundation for all instructional decisions. Their strategic attention to individual student progress creates precisely targeted learning experiences that meet each child exactly where they are. This year, all student groups at Nitsch scored above the regional or state achievement averages, ranging from 9 to 36 percentage points above average, most notably in math, where Black, economically disadvantaged, emergent bilingual, and Hispanic students scored at least 30 percentage points above the average. This continued excellence resulted in Nitsch receiving an impressive 92 overall accountability score – 10 points above the regional average.
Beyond Our HSTI Campuses: Momentum Across the Map
What stands out most about this year’s data is how many more schools across Houston achieved excellence alongside our honorees’ continued success. Across our city, many campuses exceeded the regional accountability score of B/82; notably, the eleven campuses below significantly exceeded regional averages while prominently serving student populations that have historically been underserved. These schools offer us opportunities to explore what is possible.
The breadth of school improvement points to a cultural shift in Houston’s public schools that extends beyond any one school or district. Five hundred and forty-eight schools across the Houston region improved their accountability scores between 2023 and 2025. Below are the campuses in each district across Houston that showed the most growth in their overall accountability scores.
Building on What Works
In 2025, 29 Houston area campuses saw their 2023 rating decrease from an A-, B-, or C- rating to a D- or F- rating, alongside 75 campuses who maintained their 2023 D- or F-rating, showing that there is still work ahead.
Meanwhile, 115 D- or F- rated campuses received an A- or B-rating this school year. This year’s data points to inspiring possibilities and gives us much to think about: What are the common threads among schools who are succeeding? What practices are proving to be sustainable and scalable? How quickly can we scale what’s already working, while learning and applying lessons along the way?
As poet John Milton wrote, “good, more communicated, more abundant grows.” In Houston’s schools, we see that abundance spreading one classroom, one student at a time.
Know a school whose practices are inspiring you? A school we could all learn from? Help us shine a light on campuses fostering environments where all students grow, regardless of their background. Nominate a school for our 2026 Houston Schools That Inspire.
