When you’re in a dark room, you tap into whatever is accessible to you to get your bearings – you stretch out your arms to see what you can feel, you listen intently for sounds – all in an attempt to collect information, assess the situation, and make decisions. For parents trying to make the best decisions for their children, for businesses hiring the next generation of workers, and for communities striving to strengthen their local schools, the A-F accountability system is a guiding light. Yet, for five consecutive years, Texans have been left in the dark as full accountability ratings were withheld due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing legal battles.

A coalition of Texas parent, business and nonprofit leaders, led by Good Reason Houston, filed an amicus brief on March, 4 2025 in Morath v. Pecos-Barstow-Toyah Independent School District urging the release of the state’s delayed A-F academic accountability ratings.

The Need for Academic Accountability: National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) offers a snapshot of comparative performance in 4th and 8th grade. Texas currently ranks in the bottom 25% of states in 4th grade reading, which drops to 12% for 8th grade. Good Reason Houston’s recent research underscores the impact of this underperformance. Only 27% of Houston high school graduates attain a postsecondary credential, and only 1 in 5 earn a living wage within six years.

By law, the purpose of the state’s academic accountability system is “eliminating achievement gaps based on race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status and to ensure this state is a national leader in preparing students for postsecondary success.” At its core, the system is designed to set standards for student performance to guide school systems, monitor progress toward those standards, and spur continuous improvement to better meet the needs of our children.

Far-Reaching Impact: The A-F system is the only accessible and meaningful measure available to most Texans for understanding school performance. The A-F system offers a clear, straightforward picture of school performance—one that every Texan, regardless of their expertise in education, can understand. Without it:

• Students lack accountability measures to ensure school systems are meeting their academic needs and drive improvements in learning outcomes.

• Parents do not have clear, accessible information about their child’s school performance to make informed decisions and advocate for necessary educational resources.

• School Districts & Community Partners are unable to efficiently identify underperforming campuses and allocate resources to support better outcomes.

• Businesses looking to attract and retain qualified workers in the communities where they operate do not have a mechanism to support a pipeline of qualified employees.

• The Public lacks a tool to monitor progress and ensure public funds are used effectively to improve public education.

Call for a Targeted Remedy: While the organizations defer to the court system and the parties to the lawsuit to resolve the underlying dispute, they emphasized that depriving the public of school performance information for the 1200-plus school districts in the state is not an appropriate solution. 

The A-F system is essential for fostering a culture of continuous improvement in Texas schools. As the legal battle over accountability continues, advocates hope the court will recognize the necessity of these ratings in ensuring high-quality education for all Texas students.

Looking Ahead: As the court system considers resolution to the litigation and state lawmakers contemplate policy solutions, like recently introduced House Bill 4, they have an opportunity to turn the light on and restore transparency. Good Reason Houston firmly believes there is a path forward to ensure the public has access to vital information about our public school performance, while also meeting the need for clarity and transparency for our school districts. 

As education advocates, Good Reason Houston and our partners remain committed to working with lawmakers, district partners and the community to ensure every student’s needs are met.

Our students, parents, and communities are depending on it.