Beaumont ISD has approved new school improvement turnaround plans aimed at addressing failing or low-performing campuses. The plans include a needs assessment and student outcome goals. during the meeting some key focuses are on improving reading and math scores for second through fifth grades. The district aims for campuses to score at or above grade level on STAAR performance rates by the 2025-2026 school year. view article

Facing a nearly $20 million budget shortfall and a potential state takeover, the Austin Independent School District has proposed a plan to close several schools and redraw school zone boundaries districtwide, impacting thousands of students and their families. view article

Five local school districts need to implement “turnaround plans” and improve student outcomes at failing campuses to avoid further probing from the state. This comes after the Texas Education Agency released preliminary campus and district ratings for the 2024-25 school year, measuring how effective public schools are at teaching students. view article

The Texas Education Agency is refuting the Lubbock ISD trustee president's claims about a new policy when it comes to investigating educators — specifically the investigation into the district's superintendent for alleged misconduct.  On Tuesday, Lubbock Independent School District Board of Trustees President Ryan Curry stated in a letter to the LISD community and local media outlets that the TEA has "a new policy by which they 'flag' a certificate any time a complaint is filed, regardless of the nature of the complaint."  Original Reporting: Lubbock ISD responds as superintendent's teaching certificate under review by TEA  However, the TEA informed the Avalanche-Journal that "There is no new policy regarding investigatory flags" and "if the agency is simply reviewing a complaint, there is no flag." view article

The accountability measures are mandated by a new state law.  More university systems in Texas are initiating audits of classes and curricula in order to comply with a new state law. This follows Texas A&M, Texas Tech, and the University of Texas-Austin announcing that they were running similar audits.   “Texas Woman’s University System is in the process of establishing a review of academic courses and programs, in accordance with all applicable state and federal laws,” a spokesperson for the Denton-based system told Texas Scorecard on Wednesday.  It was widely reported that on September 29, Michael Williams, the chancellor of TWUS’ neighbor, the University of North Texas System, had ordered a streamlined review of academic curricula and programs, including syllabi, to meet all relevant executive orders, court rulings, and state and federal laws. UNT campuses have a January 1 deadline to comply. The UNT System did not respond to a request for comment. view article

The Texas education commissioner can take over a school district only if a campus fails in the state academic accountability ratings for five straight years.  However, public charter schools face closure after three years of either academic or financial failures.  A-F accountability ratings are determined by results on STAAR, the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness.   A takeover involves the commissioner replacing a school district’s elected trustees with a state-appointed board of managers and installing a new superintendent.  The largest takeover in Texas history was in Houston ISD. The commissioner is considering a takeover of Fort Worth and Lake Worth schools.  view article

A sports sociology textbook published by Texas A&M University promotes “critical race theory” and the LGBT agenda. Writers critique “whites” and promote the idea of using sports as a means of “transforming” society.  Texas Scorecard received a copy of the third edition of “Sociology of Sport and Physical Activity” (2019), published by Texas A&M’s Center for Sport Management Research and Education. George B. Cunningham and Marlene A. Dixon of Ohio State University edited it, and included contributions from writers from universities worldwide.  Writers Adam Cohen, of the University of Technology Sydney, and Jon Welty Peachey, of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, explain in chapter 8 why these leftwing topics are included in a sports textbook. They explain “the use of sport as a vehicle or platform for transforming the social structure of a social group or society.” view article

Families across Austin mourned the potential closure of or changes to their neighborhood campus over the weekend after the Austin school district released a proposal Friday to shutter 13 campuses, revamp six others as non-zoned special program schools and dramatically redraw attendance boundaries across the entire district. If approved by trustees in November, the plan will significantly shift boundaries for thousands of students only six years after another emotional school closure process. Roughly one-quarter of all district students could be impacted under the sweeping proposal.   view article

HISD is shuttering Las Americas Newcomer School after enrollment fell to just 21 students this fall, a collapse officials link to federal immigration crackdowns.   Houston Independent School District announced Thursday it would be moving all the students from Las Americas Newcomer School into Jane Long Academy, an adjacent school. The district cited declining enrollment as the main driver in the school’s closure.  When the Texas Education Agency listed enrollment numbers in October of last year, Las Americas had 111 students, down from October 2023’s 213 students.  Las Americas, according to the school’s webpage, “is a newcomer campus that educates recent immigrant and refugee students who have no or very limited English language proficiency and who often have had a limited formal education in their native countries.”  Throughout its history, the school has acquired students from 37 different countries, including China, Iran, Venezuela, Somalia, and El Salvador, among others. view article

HISD is shuttering Las Americas Newcomer School after enrollment fell to just 21 students this fall, a collapse officials link to federal immigration crackdowns. view article

Austin ISD is looking to close 13 campuses before the 2026-27 school year as part of a sweeping plan to fix its nearly $20 million budget deficit. Officials said the move could save the district more than $25 million. The plan, released Friday, includes closing 10 elementary schools — Barrington, Becker, Bryker Woods, Dawson, Maplewood, Oak Springs, Palm, Ridgetop, Sunset Valley and Widen — along with Bedichek and Martin middle schools and Winn Montessori. view article

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The board meeting will start at 5:30 this evening. view article

The accountability measures are mandated by a new state law.  More university systems in Texas are initiating audits of classes and curricula in order to comply with a new state law. This follows Texas A&M, Texas Tech, and the University of Texas-Austin announcing that they were running similar audits.  “Texas Woman’s University System is in the process of establishing a review of academic courses and programs, in accordance with all applicable state and federal laws,” a spokesperson for the Denton-based system told Texas Scorecard on Wednesday.  It was widely reported that on September 29, Michael Williams, the chancellor of TWUS’ neighbor, the University of North Texas System, had ordered a streamlined review of academic curricula and programs, including syllabi, to meet all relevant executive orders, court rulings, and state and federal laws. UNT campuses have a January 1 deadline to comply. The UNT System did not respond to a request for comment. view article

The Texas Education Agency is investigating North East Independent School District’s (NEISD) cellphone ban policy after receiving a complaint that it does not comply with the new controversial law. The district’s current policy states, “Students are prohibited from using a personal communication device while on school property during the school day, except under the circumstances described in this policy.” view article

After several of their campuses received another failing grade on the state's accountability ratings, four San Antonio school districts now face the possibility of being assigned a state-appointed conservator to help boost student performance.  The Texas Education Agency has ordered Northside, San Antonio, Judson and Edgewood Independent School Districts to submit turnaround plans for their schools that have continued to fall short of state standards. view article

LEANDER, Texas — Parents and staff across Leander ISD are voicing concern as trustees consider closing three elementary schools to address projected budget deficits and declining enrollment view article

ROUND ROCK, Texas — More than 100 Round Rock ISD students have been named National Merit Scholarship semifinalists, including 63 from Westwood High School, the most from any Texas campus. view article

Each year, the Texas Education Agency takes a bird's-eye view of what’s happening across public schools in Texas. Those findings are compiled into a report and inform everyone from legislators to school districts and the families they serve. On Wednesday, TEA Commissioner Mike Morath presented his 2025 State of Education Report to the Dallas Regional Chamber in its annual luncheon focused on education. Here’s what we learned: view article

After preparing for a week, Aquilla ISD welcomed the Texas Education Agency’s Commissioner to their campus early Wednesday morning. TEA Commissioner Mike Morath toured classrooms, meeting teachers and students while learning about the school’s history and plans for future upgrades planned for Fall 2026. Commissioner Morath requested to see the school district after hearing about what they have achieved in the past year. view article

Earlier this month, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) announced that 12 Austin-area schools with an “F” rating could be closed. For many families, this isn’t just a policy decision—it’s a direct threat to thousands of children’s educational stability and their communities’ future. view article

Dr. Molinar’s big proposal involves placing seven campuses on a new resource model, giving her the power to keep only teachers who meet the highest standards. "They are identified as being in the top third of teachers across the state. That is huge based on the ACE model from Dallas ISD and saw several campuses go from F to B in one year," said Bridget Worley, chief impact officer at The Commit Partnership. view article

Another North Texas school district is considering a possible school closure as it grapples with an $8.5 million budget deficit. Coppell ISD says it's considering closing Town Center Elementary, among other possible changes. The move would save about $1.3 million in payroll, according to information shared by the district. view article

Recently released state school ratings reveal that five Texas school districts are at risk of a takeover by the Texas Education Agency (TEA)—the most since a 2017 state law expanded the state’s takeover powers. The new ratings cover the 2022-23 school year, released in April following legal delays, and the 2023-24 and 2024-25 school years, released last month. One Fort Worth ISD school received its fifth consecutive failing rating for 2022-23. Schools in Beaumont, Connally, Wichita Falls, and Lake Worth ISDs, which have a total of 32,000 students, all received a fifth consecutive failing grade for the 2024-25 school year. view article

Austin ISD is preparing to consolidate schools to deal with declining enrollment and budget pressures. On Thursday night, parents and staff spoke with the board at the Austin ISD headquarters in one of the last public meetings before the district releases a draft plan on school closures. Parents and teachers argue academic struggles and low resources have caused the problems. Teachers also said budget cuts have impacted staffing, which has contributed to overcrowding in classrooms. A petition is also calling on the district to pause their closure plan view article

The Austin Independent School District Board of Trustees is expected to vote on November 20 on a plan to consolidate schools in response to declining enrollment. While the district describes the measure as a way to ensure every student attends a fully staffed and resourced campus, a petition launched by Austin resident Roxanne Evans urges the board to delay the vote. view article

Katy ISD received a B rating with a score of 88 in the Texas Education Agency’s newly released 2024 accountability ratings, underscoring both the district’s academic strengths and its continuing challenges in schools serving high numbers of economically disadvantaged students. The district, which now enrolls more than 96,000 students across 80 campuses, earned B ratings in every accountability domain: student achievement, school progress, academic growth, relative performance and closing the gaps. The TEA data suggests that while many Katy ISD campuses are performing at an elite level, persistent equity gaps remain, especially at older schools in east and north Katy. view article

The Connally Independent School District on Sept. 15 had a special visit from the Commissioner of the Texas Education Agency (TEA) after two district schools received an F rating for the fifth consecutive year. The goal of the visit was for the Commissioner Mike Morath to see for himself why now three of the district’s six campuses received a failing accountability rating for the 2024-2025 school year. view article

Teachers and principals at seven persistently failing Fort Worth schools must reapply for their jobs for next school year if trustees approve a turnaround plan next week.  That’s because FWISD students deserve to have the best teachers in front of them, Superintendent Karen Molinar said Wednesday.  As a potential state takeover looms, Molinar wants to shift three middle schools and four elementaries to a Texas-approved turnaround model. On top of that, FWISD administrators want to use the state’s new reading materials that incorporate Bible stories into lessons.   Both moves come with extra money from the state if trustees adopt the plan at their Sept. 23 meeting. view article

The Connally Independent School District on Sept. 15 had a special visit from the Commissioner of the Texas Education Agency (TEA) after two district schools received an F rating for the fifth consecutive year. The goal of the visit was for the Commissioner Mike Morath to see for himself why now three of the district’s six campuses received a failing accountability rating for the 2024-2025 school year. Morath sat in on several classes and spoke one-on-one with administrators. view article

Monday night, Frisco Independent School District is set to consider the future of Staley Middle School. The board has contemplated closing the campus for months, citing budget, staffing challenges and aging facilities. Emotions have run high due to Staley’s importance as a cornerstone of the community. Many parents have told WFAA they feel the school has been 'historically underfunded' and 'overlooked' by the district. view article

A sweeping array of education bills passed this legislative session is set to transform the landscape of public education in Texas, sparking both hope and concern among educators and parents. Anna Smith, Place 4 Representative on the Leander ISD School Board, emphasized the significance of these changes. view article

Houston ISD state-appointed Superintendent Mike Miles earned a $173,660 bonus after receiving a score of 91.4 out of 100 from the Board of Managers on his second annual evaluation last week.  The appointed school board is required to evaluate the superintendent every year by Oct. 1, according to his employment contract. Miles was eligible for a possible bonus of $190,000, although he did not earn the full amount. view article

Frisco ISD will discuss closing campuses today. Parents and teachers are concerned that the change will harm students view article

The future of many Austin ISD schools is uncertain after several campuses have not met state standards year after year. view article