A single letter lands on your child’s school every year. That grade only tells part of the story.
Last week, Good Reason Houston’s research and policy teams, including Courtney Durbin, Jazzlyn Levigne Mayon, and Trista Bishop-Watt, walked through Houston’s 2025-26 A-F accountability ratings and what the numbers actually mean for students, families, and the future of our region. If you missed it, the full recording is below.
Below the video, you’ll find answers to the questions we received, including those we covered live during the session and those our team answered in the days since after digging deeper.
Q&A
Overview
What do this year’s A-F ratings show for the Houston region?
Across the Houston region, 71% of students now attend an A- or B-rated school, up from 67% last year and 44% in 2023. 8% of students are now in D/F-rated campuses, down from 12% last year and 32% in 2023. Districts across the region are showing that meaningful improvement is possible. That said, a rating is most meaningful when it reflects academic substance. That’s the lens we’re applying as we take a deeper look at this year’s results.
Why are A-F ratings important and how should I interpret them?
Accountability ratings are more than a measure of school performance. Behind every A–F rating are real students, dedicated educators, and the daily work of teaching and learning. They offer a window into where students are thriving, where additional support is needed, and where meaningful progress is taking place, helping identify practices that can be strengthened and scaled.
For more on how A–F ratings work and what this year’s results show across the Houston region, read our regional overview.
What should a parent do if their child’s school received a low rating?
Ratings reflect the previous school year’s performance, so a campus may have new plans underway for this school year. We’d encourage families to ask their school’s leadership about their school improvement plan and how families can support that work. The website (txschools.gov) is also a good resource for understanding what went into a specific rating.
2028 A-F Accountability Refresh
What is the 2028 A-F Accountability Refresh?
Texas periodically refreshes its A–F accountability system to ensure it continues to reflect what matters most for student success. The last refresh took effect in 2023, and the state’s methodology has remained consistent with the framework communicated at that time. The 2028 refresh is the next scheduled opportunity to revise the accountability framework and set expectations for the years ahead.
The law limits significant changes to the accountability system to every five years, but periodic evaluation ensures the methodology remains relevant, rigorous, and aligned to student outcomes. Regular refreshes also allow the accountability system to incorporate new research, improve measures over time, and respond to changes in college and career outcomes.
What resources are available to public and school systems to help understand the changes proposed for the 2028 Refresh?
The Texas Education Agency (TEA) has a webpage dedicated to the 2028 A-F Refresh, which includes the preliminary framework, along with webinar materials that explain the process and proposed changes.
For school systems, TEA is required to provide “What If” ratings in the two years leading up to the refresh. These projected ratings show districts how they would perform under the new methodology before changes take effect.
When will the final 2028 A-F manual and “What If” ratings be released?
The proposed 2028 A–F manual is expected in fall 2026. Before finalizing the new cut scores, TEA will incorporate 2026 results so the 2028 system is based on the most recent performance data available. The final manual and 2026 “What If” ratings are expected to follow in early 2027.
What changes will likely be included in the 2028 A-F refresh?
The proposed 2028 refresh includes several updates intended to raise expectations and better reflect whether students are on track for success after high school. Proposed changes include:
- Performance standards will gradually increase as Texas works toward its long-term goal of becoming a top-five state for academic performance and postsecondary readiness.
- College, Career, and Military Readiness (CCMR) indicators will shift to a tiered framework that is weighted based on how well each measure aligns to postsecondary enrollment, credential attainment, and economic success. The new tiered system will take effect for the 2031 ratings, giving school systems time to make responsive adjustments.
- The system will better recognize middle schools that prepare students for advanced academic pathways through successful completion of high school-level coursework.
For a detailed overview of all the proposed changes, TEA has put together a webinar and slide deck.
How will Texas weigh college, career, and military readiness (CCMR) in the A-F refresh?
The current proposed framework from TEA was developed based on internal and external research on long-term student outcomes, including higher education enrollment, persistence, credential attainment, and wage attainment.
This framework will not apply immediately after the refresh, but will take effect for the 2031 ratings, reflecting the graduating class of 2030, to give school systems time to adjust postsecondary pathways and support students in achieving CCMR.
TEA has dedicated webinar materials that explain the full extent of the proposed changes and the process used to incorporate postsecondary outcomes into the tiered framework.
College, Career, and Military Readiness
How are stronger A and B ratings connected to college and career readiness and future earnings?
Overall A and B ratings signify strong student achievement and growth which are important for postsecondary success. For high schools specifically, college, career, and military readiness (CCMR) is built into the A-F accountability formula. More students in A- and B-rated schools should reflect more students who are on a path to postsecondary success, alongside stronger academic achievement and graduation outcomes.
Historically, CCMR indicators have counted equally even though some are more strongly connected to postsecondary outcomes than others. As part of the 2028 A–F Refresh, Texas will begin differentiating how these indicators are recognized based on their connection to outcomes like college enrollment, credential attainment, and future earnings. This will create a stronger link between what the accountability system recognizes as college and career readiness and the outcomes students experience after high school.
Research shows college preparation courses are a lower-rigor pathway to college and career readiness. How should I interpret the region-wide increase in students taking college preparation courses?
The proportion of Houston-region graduates taking college-prep courses in math and reading rose from 2% of the class of 2021 to 26% of the class of 2024, a regional trend, not confined to a single district.
Even though college prep courses are state-approved pathways, emerging research shows those courses don’t set students up with the same skills and knowledge as more rigorous pathways. Texas superintendents and policymakers are already responding, upcoming changes will reduce reliance on this pathway while increasing the rigor of the courses that remain.
When we learn a policy can be stronger for students, Good Reason Houston works alongside districts, policymakers, and partners toward a better systems-level solution that ensures more public school students have a clear path from pre-K to paycheck.
You can read more in our full breakdown of what’s behind the college-prep numbers here.
How is the state responding to the research about college preparation programs?
TEA is making systems-level changes to reduce over-reliance on lower-rigor CCMR pathways. Starting with 2027 accountability ratings, college-prep course credit will be limited to students taking the course in 12th grade. Starting with 2028 ratings, credit will only be given for college-prep courses on a state-approved list.
Separately, House Bill 8 (89-2) directed TEA to study weighting CCMR indicators by rigor, and TEA’s preliminary framework places college-prep courses on the lowest tier. Good Reason Houston, alongside statewide partners, has been advocating for the changes in weight for CCMR measures based on how well they predict long-term outcomes, like wage attainment, and to use that weighting to incentivize stronger pathways.
District Practices
What has GRH learned about the strategies and systems that help districts improve and sustain student outcomes?
There are multiple strategies from pre-K to postsecondary that districts can consider to improve and sustain student outcomes. Good Reason Houston believes in high-quality early learning to ensure a strong start, targeted school improvement for under performing schools, aligning instructional systems and supports, and strengthening teacher and leader effectiveness. GRH also recommends progress monitoring with a focus on district goals, student outcomes, and instructional quality.
Galena Park ISD, Klein ISD, and YES Prep all have over 90% of their students attending an A- or B-rated school. What can we learn from their success?
We are thrilled for Galena Park ISD, Klein ISD, and Yes Prep and what this means for their communities. Good Reason Houston has captured learnings from some of their campuses as part of our Houston Schools That Inspire campaign and High Schools for Postsecondary Success research. We look forward to more opportunities to learn from these districts and their approach to ensuring all students attend an A- or B-rated school.
Spring ISD has seen significant growth over the past year. What can we learn from districts like Spring that are accelerating academic achievement?
Sustained improvement requires strong systems that create consistency in teaching and learning, identify challenges early, and direct additional support to the campuses and students that need it most.
Spring ISD provides a strong example of this approach. The district has focused on:
- Strengthening the quality and consistency of instruction by establishing clear expectations for teaching and learning, using high-quality instructional materials, and providing instructional coaching.
- Identifying and supporting high-need campuses early through a campus performance framework that helps determine where additional oversight, coaching, and other support is needed.
Other
STAAR achievement represents a significant portion of A-F ratings. When a family opts out of STAAR, how does that impact a campus score?
Students are required by law to complete state and federally mandated assessments. Federal law also requires 95% participation in required assessments. While the law does not offer an official means of opting out of state standardized testing, in practice families have been able to opt out based on a law allowing temporary removal of a student from instruction.
Generally, opting out does impact A-F accountability. Refused tests are submitted blank and scored, which lower a campus’s A-F grade.
This is different from a genuine absence. A student out for the whole testing window due to illness or a documented medical issue can, in some cases, be excluded from the calculation entirely, whereas a refusal while the student is present at school is coded as a scored test.
