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A growing number of prominent Texas school districts, including Houston, Fort Worth, and Beaumont are now under state-appointed leadership, with takeovers triggered by a state law that directs the Texas Education Agency to take action if even one campus fails the state’s A-F academic accountability ratings for five years in a row.
Five Texas school districts faced state interventions last year after the release of the 2025 A-F ratings, and Austin ISD is on the cusp of joining them after two of its middle schools received a fifth F earlier this month.
The state law, passed in 2015 and amended in 2017 and 2021, directs the Texas Education Agency to either close the failing school or replace the district’s locally elected school board with a state-appointed board of managers if the school is rated academically unacceptable for five consecutive years. In recent years, Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath has almost always chosen to replace the elected board and appoint a new superintendent.
The law has faced backlash almost from the beginning, in large part because A-F ratings are primarily based on the State Assessment for Academic Readiness, or STAAR.
A large body of research shows a correlation between poverty and performance on standardized tests. Texas attempts to mitigate that connection by allowing schools to be rated based on either performance, growth, or how they do compared to other schools with similar demographics.
However, an analysis by the Texas Tribune shows 2026 A-F ratings still correlate with schools’ poverty levels.
So far, no San Antonio school district has been taken over for academic reasons, although several have been taken over for governance issues.
To avoid takeovers, several San Antonio districts have a history of working within the system TEA gives them.
For instance, in 2018 San Antonio ISD made a controversial agreement with an outside charter operator to avoid state sanctions at Stewart Elementary. In the end, Stewart earned a passing grade but another SAISD school, Rodriguez Elementary, was forced to close.
After the release of the 2025 ratings, four San Antonio school districts were at risk of state takeovers if they didn’t improve by 2027. Three of the four districts took proactive steps to reduce their risk of sanctions last spring, but now that the 2026 ratings are out, two districts, San Antonio ISD and Judson ISD, could still face a state takeover next year.
Northside ISD
In 2025, Northside ISD had one school with three years of consecutive academically unacceptable ratings. But after a research-based approach that increased rigor and support in their multilingual classrooms, Northside’s Mead Elementary moved from an F to a B this year, jumping 30 points and nearly earning an A.
The rapid improvement at Mead means no Northside school is at imminent risk of triggering a state takeover. However, Glass Elementary received a third F in 2026, and Passmore, Carlos Coon and Rhodes Elementary Schools are in their second year of unacceptable ratings.
San Antonio ISD
Nine San Antonio ISD schools had three consecutive years of unacceptable ratings in 2025.
Four of them: Carvajal, Hirsch, and Ogden Elementary Schools and Rhodes Middle School, received a fourth unacceptable rating in 2026.
The other five — Graebner and Herff Elementary Schools and Davis, Poe and Tafolla Middle Schools — improved in 2026.
Because of the risk of state intervention, SAISD closed Carvajal Elementary and Rhodes Middle School at the end of the 2025-2026 school year.
The board of trustees also voted to enter into an SB 1882 Partnership with Third Future Schools to run Hirsch Elementary, Ogden Elementary, and Tafolla Middle School starting with the 2026-2027 school year.
TEA spokesperson Jake Kobersky said the state agency has approved the partnership with Third Future, which protects Hirsch and Ogden from state intervention.
Unacceptable counts are paused for campuses approved for 1882 partnerships.
TEA also approved the closure of Rhodes Middle School. Students who previously attended Rhodes are now assigned to Tafolla, which is also part of the partnership with Third Future.
However, in a letter sent last week, TEA Deputy Commissioner Steve Lecholop informed SAISD officials that Carvajal’s unacceptable count will be transferred to Barkley-Ruiz Elementary, the campus that received most of Carvajal’s students.
Lecholop cited a 2023 state agency rule, Texas Administrative Code 97.1066, as justification for the transfer, which says the receiving campus “shall be subject to any sanction or intervention applicable to the closed campus if the commissioner determines that this is necessary to preserve the integrity of the accountability system.”
In response to a request to comment on the transfer of Carvajal’s four-year unacceptable count, SAISD officials said they are “committed to ensuring every student at Barkley-Ruiz Elementary School has access to a consistent, high-quality educational experience.”
“This commitment begins with teaching a rigorous curriculum and providing strong instructional support,” officials continued in a statement. “Our focus is on ensuring that all students are engaged in grade-level learning every day, building the knowledge and skills necessary for future academic success.”
SAISD has until September 4 to acknowledge the transfer. If the decision holds, Barkley-Ruiz Elementary must earn at least a D in the 2027 A-F ratings in order to avoid sanctions, including a possible state takeover.
Barkley-Ruiz earned a comfortable C this year (74) and Carvajal scored a high F (58). If Barkley-Ruiz earns a C or higher in 2027, its unacceptable count will return to zero. If it earns a D, the count will be paused but the campus could still reach the five-year threshold if it continues to earn Ds and Fs in future years.
In a more general statement, SAISD officials described the district as a whole moving in the right direction, with 12 A rated campuses, 23 B rated campuses, the number of F rated campuses decreasing from 20 to 9, and 35 campuses increasing at least a letter grade.
Judson ISD
In 2025, Judson ISD had three schools with three consecutive academically unacceptable ratings.
Two of the three schools — Metzger Middle School and Park Village Elementary — received a fourth unacceptable rating in 2026.
Metzger earned a high F this year — a 59. If it can increase its score by one point next year, Metzger will earn a D, pause the unacceptable count, and avoid triggering a state intervention.
Judson closed Park Village Elementary at the end of the 2025-2026 school year as part of its campus consolidation plan to reduce spending amid declining enrollment.
However, in a letter sent late last week, TEA Deputy Commissioner Steve Lecholop informed Judson officials that Park Village’s four-year unacceptable count will be transferred to Hartman Elementary, the campus that received most of Park Village’s students.
Lecholop cited a 2023 state agency rule, Texas Administrative Code 97.1066, as justification for the transfer, which says the receiving campus “shall be subject to any sanction or intervention applicable to the closed campus if the commissioner determines that this is necessary to preserve the integrity of the accountability system.”
TEA is also transferring the unacceptable count for one of the schools SAISD closed this year, Carvajal Elementary.
Together, the two decisions place both SAISD and Judson at risk of a state takeover next year.
Park Village scored a 55 in 2026. Its receiving campus, Hartman Elementary, received a high D. The newly combined Hartman Elementary will need to earn at least a D again next year to pause the count at four. A C or higher will wipe the slate clean and return its count to zero.
Judson officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the transfer of Park Village’s unacceptable count to Hartman.
However, Judson officials said in a statement that they have “seen movement in teacher and student capacity” at Metzger, and that the district has supported the middle school by adding “math teacher-coaching,” “strategic staffing” in math, providing “an experienced turnaround principal,” and acquiring a grant for professional learning communities.
The third Judson school rated three-years unacceptable in 2025 was Kirby Middle School. Kirby was in the middle of a TEA-grant-funded transition to a new school model during the 2025-2026 school year which resulted in the school being listed under two school numbers with two separate ratings.
The old model serving 8th grade, Kirby Middle School, broke its unacceptable chain by earning a B this year. The new model serving 6th and 7th grade, Kirby STEM Academy, scored an F for a second year in a row. TEA’s Jake Kobersky told TPR that Kirby will be held accountable for the school code that remains open for the 2026-2027 school year: Kirby STEM Academy. That gives Kirby a two-year unacceptable count.
SAISD’s Davis and Tafolla Middle Schools were undergoing the same TEA-grant funded transition to a new school model last year, and followed the same pattern as Kirby, with the old school codes earning Bs and the new school codes earning Fs for a second year in a row.
Kobersky said SAISD will also be held accountable for the school codes that remain open this year: Davis and Tafolla College Prep, which are both two years unacceptable too. However, Tafolla is part of SAISD’s 1882 Partnership with Third Future, which pauses the unacceptable count for Tafolla.
Edgewood ISD
Edgewood ISD had four schools with three consecutive years of unacceptable ratings in 2025: Brentwood Middle School, Cisneros Elementary, Las Palmas Leadership School for Girls, and Roosevelt Dual Language Academy.
One school, Brentwood Middle School, received a 4th unacceptable rating in 2026. However, Edgewood entered into an SB 1882 Partnership with Third Future Schools to run Brentwood starting in the 2026-2027 school year, which gives the district a reprieve from state sanctions.
TEA’s Jake Kobersky confirmed that the agency has approved the 1882 Partnership. Most turnaround partnerships approved recently have been with Third Future Schools. TEA denied Austin ISD’s application for 1882 protections with another charter operator in May.
Third Future Schools has been criticized for their rigid education reforms, and for their ties to the state-appointed superintendent for Houston ISD. Mike Miles founded Third Future.
The other three Edgewood schools with three unacceptable ratings in 2025: Cisneros, Las Palmas, and Roosevelt, all went from Fs to Ds in 2026, pausing their unacceptable counts.
Under a state law passed in 2021, Ds do not break the chain of unacceptable ratings, but they can pause them. However, Ds start adding to the unacceptable count the third time a district or campus receives one without first earning an A, B, or C. Essentially, three Ds equal one F, and any Ds received after the third D are treated the same as an F.
Cisneros, Las Palmas and Roosevelt will need to receive at least a C next year to wipe their slates clean. If they get two more Ds they’ll start counting towards the unacceptable count again.
Edgewood as a district received a fourth D in a row in 2026, giving the district as a whole a two-year unacceptable count.
In a statement, Edgewood officials told TPR they are “encouraged by the academic progress reflected in the latest accountability results, while recognizing the urgency to accelerate improvement.”
District officials pointed out that Edgewood “gained two points overall, five campuses moved out of an F rating, and the number of C-rated campuses increased from six to eight.”
“The district is focused on strengthening teacher capacity, protecting instructional time, providing targeted coaching, and increasing accountability for results,” Edgewood officials added in their statement. “Priorities include protecting gains at improving and higher-performing campuses, rebuilding growth at Loma Park Elementary, and accelerating improvement at Brentwood Middle School through the partnership with Third Future Schools.”
Uvalde CISD
The Uvalde school district received a second F in 2026 following two Ds. The district is currently rated two years unacceptable, but even if it improves to a D next year the count will increase to three years unacceptable because it will be the district’s third D without earning a passing grade that wipes the slate clean.
Harlandale ISD
Harlandale ISD’s Vestal Elementary also received a third consecutive unacceptable rating this year.
Charter Networks
Under state law, charter networks face closure after three years of unacceptable ratings instead of five.
San Antonio area charter networks Royal Public Schools and Essence Preparatory both received their third unacceptable rating in 2026.
However, Essence closed at the end of the 2025-2026 school year after TEA denied its charter renewal application.
According to TEA’s Jake Kobersky, Essence was closed at the end of last school year because its charter was up for renewal and a D after an F is considered unacceptable under renewals. Essence was F, D, F in 2025.
Kobersky said Royal will have its charter revoked after the current school year if Royal’s final rating released in December remains an F. Royal’s charter was not up for renewal, but it has now received three Fs in a row. Royal was C, F, F in 2025.
Two other charter school networks, Bexar County Academy and The Gathering Place, both got their third strikes in 2025. Bexar County closed under a local board vote at the beginning of the 2025-2026 school year instead of waiting for a final decision from TEA. The Gathering Place closed at the end of the 2024-2025 school year after TEA denied its application for renewal.
Why now?
The spike in state interventions last year was in part spawned by the release of three years of A-F ratings over the course of just a few months. Lawsuits inspired by changes to STAAR tests and changes to the metrics used to calculate A-F ratings delayed the release of ratings for 2023 and 2024.
Widespread dislike for STAAR led to the passing of a law that will replace it with 3 smaller tests starting with the 2027-2028 school year.
However, TEA is also slated to change the metrics for calculating A-F again that same year, and districts are now barred from using public funds to block the release of the ratings.
