Houston ISD
Three elementary schools in Houston ISD (HISD) raised their state grades from F to A, according to unofficial data released by the school district Monday.
The Texas Education Agency (TEA) normally releases annual academic performance scores for schools across the state, but it has been prevented from doing so each of the past two years because of ongoing litigation with districts claiming the scores were calculated incorrectly.
HISD, which is in its second year under TEA intervention, compiled its own campus ratings for the 2022-23 and 2023-24 school years using data and methodologies from the state. Superintendent Mike Miles said HISD’s Hilliard, Hobby and Wainwright elementary schools were “probably” the only ones in the state to improve from F to A during that time period.
“Over the past year, our students have made real progress in their academic achievement,” Hilliard Principal Erica Kimball said during a press conference Monday at the east Houston campus. “This achievement is a testament to the dedication and hard work of my colleagues.”
HISD released its districtwide accountability ratings earlier this month, saying the number of schools rated D and F dropped from 121 to 41, while the number of schools rated A and B increased from 93 to 170. Miles attributed the improvements largely to the instructional reforms he implemented at 85 schools, with his New Education System (NES) model expanded to 130 schools this year.
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Hilliard, Hobby and Wainwright are subject to the NES model. But not all of these schools have improved their ratings. Atherton Elementary, for example, slipped from a B to an F.
More than 25 HISD campuses saw their ratings drop last year, according to the district. Nearly 150 schools in the district, which includes 274 campuses, improved their scores by at least one grade.
The district found that all six schools in the North Forest High School feeder pattern that had D or F ratings for 2022-23 had C or better ratings for 2023-24. These sites are part of the NES model.
The same goes for Wheatley High School, which improved from a D to a B, according to the school district. A series of poor grades at that school led to the state taking over HISD.
“The work continues across the district,” said Orlando Riddick, an assistant superintendent of schools who oversees schools in the northern part of the district. “We’re not doing individual measures. We’re doing comprehensive system reforms.”
The state’s intervention, which included replacing HISD’s nine elected trustees with a state-appointed board of directors, was met with resistance in the Houston community, as were reforms implemented under Miles, which have led to widespread staff turnover.
According to initial numbers HISD posted online last week, the district saw a nearly 9% drop in enrollment compared to last year. The decline was even steeper at NES schools.
