"A public school system without a public accountability rating is a system that hires failures."
Texas Insider Report: AUSTIN, Texas – (HOUSTON) — State Senator Paul Bettencourt (R-Houston), author of Senate Bill 1365 in 2021, which restored and strengthened the state's A-F public school accountability system, joins Texas Education Agency Commissioner Mike Morath today for the release of the 2026 A-F accountability ratings. Senator Bettencourt was also the Senate sponsor of House Bill 8, authored by Representative Brad Buckley (R-Salado), which prevented ISD “lawfare” blocking yearly A-F grade releases statewide. The TEA Statewide district and campus ratings will be released today at 12 p.m.
Senate Bill 1365 reestablished the legal framework for the state’s public accountability system following several years of litigation that delayed the release of campus and district ratings. The 2026 ratings mark a return to transparency that parents and communities can use to gauge and compare the performance of their children’s schools. House Bill 8 ended ISD “lawfare” blocking yearly A-F releases, banned statewide “Not Rated” designations, and replaced STAAR testing with three shorter assessments.
"A public school system without a public accountability rating is a system that hires failures," Bettencourt commented. "I authored SB 1365 to restore A-F ratings, and I am proud to stand with Commissioner Morath as this year’s results go public. Parents across Texas deserve clear ratings, and campuses that fall short must be identified and improved. Publish the ratings. Own the results. What gets measured gets fixed!"
The 2026 results showed strong gains in Senate District 7. Tomball ISD held its district-wide A rating for a second consecutive year, with 19 of its 25 campuses earning an A rating. Spring Branch ISD posted a significant year-over year improvement, with its overall accountability score climbing from 80 to 85, and 17 of its 42 campuses earning an A rating.
"These results are a credit to the students, teachers, principals, and school boards doing the work every day," Bettencourt said. “It's proof that when we measure honestly, schools respond, and students win." Concluded Senator Bettencourt, who serves as Vice-Chair of the Senate Public Education Committee.
TEA Commissioner Morath and Senator Bettencourt will be at Galena Park ISD’s Woodland Acres Middle School campus at 12947 Myrtle Lane in Houston, to celebrate their hard-earned A-rating at 1:10 pm today.
