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After nearly two years of legal delays, the Texas Education Agency released new school accountabi lity ratings, giving Elgin Independent School District a lower grade under a revamped and more demanding evaluation system.
Elgin ISD received a D for the 2022-23 school year—a drop from the C in 2022 listed on txschools. gov, where TEA publishes the grades, and a significant bump from the B earned in 2019, the last official rating issued before COVID.
“The community of Elgin has long understood that the success of our students and schools cannot be determined solely by state assessments,” the district said in a statement. “As a result, we focus on our district scorecard, which sets goals and monitors academic growth, student readiness—for their next level of learning and post-high school success—and student well-being.”
The lower grade comes despite internal measures showing student growth, according to the district, as major changes to the state-mandated STAAR test, grading rubrics and college readiness standards pushed down ratings across the state.
Significant changes were made to the state’s accountability system in 2023, including mandatory online testing for all grade levels, increased test difficulty and the addition of writing components to many exams. Standards for the College Career and Military Readiness portion of the system also shifted, with the criteria for an A rating in that category increasing by 28%, according to the district.
Despite the lowered letter grade, Elgin ISD officials said they remain focused on academic growth, student readiness and overall student well-being.
“We are confident that the students of Elgin ISD are receiving a high-quality education in a multitude of areas,” the district said. “We are proud of the consistent, continued growth we have seen in all areas since 2023.”
Elgin ISD joined more than 100 school districts in a lawsuit against TEA in 2023, arguing that schools were blindsided by these tougher standards without time to prepare. The board voted unanimously to join the case, citing concerns that the agency failed to disclose new grading methods that ultimately penalized districts even as student performance improved.
According to the district, many schools were stamped with a lower grade despite improved performance under the new system. Statewide, about 50% of districts received an A or B, compared to 74% the year before, TEA data showed.
TEA officials stated the updated grading system better reflects how schools are preparing students for success after graduation. Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath said the release restores long-overdue transparency for families following years of disruption.
“For far too long, families, educators and communities have been denied access to information about the performance of their schools,” Morath said in a statement. “Transparency drives progress, and when that transparency is blocked, students pay the price.”
The lawsuit that delayed the 2022-23 ratings was resolved earlier this month when the 15th Court of Appeals ruled in favor of TEA.
Ratings for the 2023-24 school year remain under litigation and are expected to be released in August.
According to district measures, Elgin ISD students are demonstrating strong academic progress during the current school year.
