TEA can release 2024 A-F accountability scores for Texas schools, court rules
A Texas appeals court ruled that the Texas Education Agency can release 2024 A-F accountability ratings for campuses and school districts after the ratings were blocked from release over the past year amid a lawsuit from various districts.
The Fifteenth Court of Appeals last week reversed a lower court’s ruling that blocked TEA from issuing the ratings, which had been scheduled to be released about a year ago. In 2023 and 2024, school districts had challenged the state’s changes to how it calculated performance metrics in two separate lawsuits.
The official 2023 ratings were released in April, and now the 2024 ratings will be released as a result of the recent ruling. Many districts, including the Fort Worth Independent School District, have released self-calculated ratings that were reviewed by TEA.
“For three years, A to F school ratings were not released because of the pandemic, but for the last two years they have not been released because of the courts. Millions of dollars and thousands of hours of work by teachers, administrators, and experts have been invested in creating the A to F ratings system; courts can decide only whether it is legal, not whether it is wise or fair, much less commandeer the job of running it,” Chief Justice Scott Brister wrote in the ruling.
“The record here contains no evidence to support the Districts’ claims that issuing A to F ratings for the 2024 school year would be… beyond the Commissioner’s legal authority,” he added.
TEA officials said in a statement on Wednesday that they were still reviewing the ruling and determining the timeline of when the 2024 ratings would be released.
The ratings provide an overview of how campuses and districts are performing academically with a large emphasis on STAAR scores, or the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness. The ratings also include other measures of student achievement such as college, career and military readiness; academic growth over time; and how well gaps are being closed among different student groups.
The founder and CEO of The Commit Partnership, a Dallas-based education advocacy group, said in a statement on Wednesday that the ruling was a win for school districts and allows education leaders to make strategic academic decisions.
“We applaud Chief Justice Scott Brister and his colleagues on the 15th Court of Appeals for their unanimous ruling in favor of transparency and accountability, as well as the many school districts here in Dallas County and across the state that have already voluntarily released their 2024 ratings,” said founder and CEO Todd Williams. “With A-F ratings for districts and campuses, students and families can make informed choices. School leaders can strategically deploy resources where needed most. And state policymakers can identify successful strategies and bring them scale. In short, all Texans benefit from the clear, reliable measure of academic progress our A-F accountability system provides.”
Brent Beasley, CEO of the Fort Worth Education Partnership, echoed Williams’ thoughts.
“I’m pleased the state will release the A–F ratings. Parents deserve clear information about how their children are doing in school, and these ratings help deliver that,” Beasley said. “We also know families want this — a recent poll we conducted found that 90% of Fort Worth parents believe Texas should measure both student growth and school performance. The ratings also give teachers and school leaders insight into what’s working and where to focus more support and resources.”
Trenace Dorsey-Hollins, director of Parent Shield Fort Worth, also celebrated the ruling, noting it would bridge the gap between parents and school performance data.
“We are pleased to see the release of the true and accurate ratings at last. These ratings give parents a clear, yearly picture of how well schools are serving all students — not just top performers. With this information, families can make more informed choices and push for accountability when schools consistently underperform. Now that legal barriers are removed, parents gain much-needed transparency into school performance,” she said.
Fort Worth ISD faces possible state takeover
The release of the 2024 ratings comes forward as Fort Worth ISD awaits a decision from TEA on a possible state takeover of the district, prompted by the release of the 2023 ratings earlier this year.
Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath notified Fort Worth district officials on May 5 of the potential takeover after Forest Oak 6th Grade Center received an F rating for five consecutive years. Under Texas law, state officials are required to either shut the campus down or replace school board members with a state-appointed board of managers.
The complication is, though, that Fort Worth ISD already closed the campus last year and consolidated it with Forest Oak Middle School. Morath told district officials this “has no bearing on, and does not abrogate, the compulsory action the statute requires the commissioner to take.”
Morath said a decision would be made in August when the A-F scores are finalized, and Fort Worth ISD officials have said they plan to appeal the rating.
In a Thursday statement, Fort Worth ISD officials noted the district was not a part of the 2024 lawsuit, although it did join the similar 2023 suit.
“Fort Worth ISD did not join the 2024 accountability lawsuit pursued by other districts and has already released its estimated accountability data for 2024. Under the leadership of Superintendent Dr. Karen Molinar, the district remains steadfast in its commitment to enhancing educational outcomes for all students. We have conducted a thorough review of the preliminary data, will cross-reference it with the official release from the Texas Education Agency (TEA), and will continue to implement and refine strategies that support academic growth and success across Fort Worth ISD,” officials said.
This story was originally published July 9, 2025 at 4:33 PM.
