(Texas Scorecard) – As lawsuits hamper the release of official accountability ratings, Fort Worth Independent School District has released its unofficial accountability rating, revealing that the district earned a C.
The Texas Education Agency’s A-F Accountability System evaluates districts in three key domains—student achievement, school progress, and closing the gaps—which assess the academic performance of Texas’ government schools.
“Fort Worth ISD is proud to report academic progress for the 2023-2024 school year, as reflected in the latest STAAR 2.0 assessment results and the anticipated Texas Education Agency’s (TEA) A-F Accountability Ratings. The district’s estimated overall rating increased by 6 points, from 64 in 2023 to an estimated C rating of 70 in 2024,” the district wrote in a statement.
The improvement shows a 36 percent decrease in the number of students attending D or F-rated campuses, which means that around 16,000 fewer students are enrolled in low-performing schools.
However, despite the district being proud of the rating, the district’s last official rating was in 2022, when it received a B rating under its previous superintendent, Kent Scribner. Between 2022 to 2024 the ratings were blocked from official release to the public by a lawsuit.
While the TEA is facing legal battles preventing the agency from releasing official accountability ratings, other districts have decided to reveal their scores.
According to the TEA, the new ratings have been calculated based on standardized testing results; graduation rates; and college, career, and military readiness outcomes.
Castleberry ISD recently released its ratings and verified its unofficial ratings with the TEA. The overall rating showed that the district improved from a 76 to an 82 between the 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 school years.
Fort Worth ISD’s release comes just weeks after Mayor Mattie Parker called on the district to make changes, saying that the district “has consistently lagged behind other large Texas school systems.”
Last month, a report from the nonprofit organization Fort Worth Education Partnership showed that students in both traditional and charter public schools are not meeting grade-level standards. The nonprofit’s report showed overall only 35 percent of students in grades three through eight perform at grade level.
Despite the report, the district is continuing to celebrate its achievement, pointing to different schools improvements.
“One of the district’s standout success stories is E.M. Daggett Elementary, which rose from a D rating to a B, just one point away from an A. Carter-Riverside High School, Southwest High School, and North Side High School each improved by two letter grades, moving from F to C ratings, highlighting the dedication of students and staff,” wrote the district. “Additionally, 30% of campuses (37 schools) improved by one letter grade, while 9% of campuses (11 schools) increased by two letter grades. Sagamore Hill Elementary and Springdale Elementary achieved remarkable growth, both moving from F to B, a three-letter-grade increase.”