Lake Worth ISD is at risk of a state takeover after newly released A-F accountability showed an elementary school failing for a fifth consecutive year.
The district of about 3,250 students faces a possibility of intervention similar to that of Fort Worth ISD after failing schools triggered a Texas law requiring action.
Meanwhile, other Tarrant County-area school districts broadly maintained their state accountability grades, with three jumping up a letter and none seeing a decline.
The Texas Education Agency on Friday released the 2024 and 2025 A-F ratings that measure districts’ and campuses’ academic performance.
Lake Worth ISD sits near Fort Worth’s northwest borders. The elementary school, Marilyn Miller Language Academy, enrolls about 500 students, 91% of whom are from low-income families and 43.6% are emerging bilingual learners, according to state data.
A Friday afternoon news release from Lake Worth ISD did not acknowledge the potential takeover. However, the statement said the district recognizes the challenges of being a D-rated district, and leaders are disappointed, but not discouraged.
“We understand where we are as a district, and we see this as an opportunity to grow,” school board President Armando Velazquez said in the news release. “With a clear plan, a committed team, a sense of urgency, and a belief in the potential of every student, we are confident that the work we do today will lead to a stronger, more successful tomorrow for our entire district.”
The district as a whole received a D for 2025, which was an improvement from the F it received in 2024. Of its six schools, all but its high school received an F rating for 2025. Only Marilyn Miller Language Academy saw its fifth consecutive one.
In the state’s eyes, any district that has a failing campus for at least five years faces persistent low academic performance. Texas law requires the commissioner to either close the failing campuses or appoint a new board of managers for a district, replacing the superintendent and elected school board.
Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath has said he expects to make a decision on Fort Worth ISD’s fate in the fall after visiting the district soon. He has not made public comments on Lake Worth ISD.
TEA officials declined to comment on any possible intervention action.
Lake Worth is entering the school year with a new superintendent, Mark Ramirez, who started in May.
Ramirez has a new vision for the district that saw new data-driven initiatives rolled out at the start of the school year, according to the news release.
Steven Poole, executive director of the United Educators Association that represents area teachers, said Lake Worth’s situation is a tough one that’s heavily impacted by declining enrollment.
Just before the COVID-19 pandemic in the 2019-20 school year, the district had nearly 3,600 students.
“The new superintendent should be able to prove himself,” Poole said. “Let’s give him a chance to see what he can do with the schools there in Lake Worth and, hopefully, the commissioner will take that under consideration.”
Surrounding Tarrant County districts react to their ratings
Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD Superintendent Jerry Hollingsworth, whose district maintained a C for the third year, said that while the grades are important, “numbers don’t tell the whole story.”
“Just like our students, we are learners, too,” Hollingsworth said in a statement. “We’ll study the results, adjust where needed, and keep moving forward together. The work matters, the progress is real, and the best chapters in our story are still to come.”
Of the 18 Tarrant County-area districts, two earned A’s — Aledo and Carroll, for both years.
The Crowley and Everman school districts stepped from D’s to C’s.
Individual campus grades can be searched for at TXschools.gov.
“Today marks a return to clarity and accountability,” Morath said in a news release. “With the release of the 2025 A-F Ratings, we are reinforcing our commitment to transparency and to providing accurate, readily available information that helps every family understand how their school is doing.”
Across the state, 1 in 3 schools improved their letter grade, according to Texas Education Agency data. Most campuses maintained their previous ratings, and 15% declined.
The ratings are largely based on how well students do on STAAR, or State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness.
The scores’ release comes as Fort Worth ISD, a district of about 70,000 students, braces for a potential state takeover because of failing ratings. While FWISD saw improvement, Morath must weigh a takeover after 2023 scores — released in April — triggered a Texas law requiring state intervention.
2024 grades release after legal stall
Texas school leaders have had mixed feelings toward the A-F grades since the rating system’s launch in 2017. Elected trustees and superintendents across the state have expressed concerns over changing standards and the measure’s emphasis on STAAR results.
Some districts sued the state over the system in recent years, delaying the grades release.
The 2024 grades were stalled by a lawsuit over concerns that the state’s new computer grading system would result in unfair scoring.
In July, a state appeals court gave Texas the go-ahead to release the ratings.
Anthony Tosie, executive director of communications for Northwest ISD, which received a B, said the district doesn’t place much emphasis on the STAAR test. While STAAR results have a place in measuring how students are doing, the district does not believe a “single-day, high-stakes” test is the best measure of learning.
“Our district continues to advocate for lawmakers to abolish the STAAR test and focus on personalized learning and continuous improvement of every child,” the spokesperson said.
Friday, Gov. Greg Abbott called a second special session that included asking legislators to eliminate STAAR and replace it with other tools to assess student progress.
Keller ISD, which received a B, echoed a similar sentiment to Tosie in a statement, calling the state’s accountability ratings “simply one point of data among many” that are considered when determining success.
Many Texas districts often use various ways to track academics.
In Northwest, for example, the district prefers Measures of Academic Progress, or MAP, testing, which Tosie described as a low-stress evaluation taken at various intervals throughout the year.
In a press release, Castleberry ISD officials celebrated its B rating and good standing of its campuses. The district also highlighted new initiatives to prioritize literacy, improve teacher retention and help families prepare for college.
Hollingsworth, the Eagle Mountain-Saginaw superintendent, said he sees students, teachers and parents growing and interacting in schools in ways no rating can measure. Meanwhile, the district is rolling out “strong changes” in instruction and support systems to push academic growth, he said.
“This year’s results show both successes and challenges, a reminder that while we celebrate progress, we still have important work ahead,” he said.
Editor’s note: This story was updated the afternoon of Aug. 15, 2025, with statements from Lake Worth ISD and the Texas Education Agency.
Education editor Jacob Sanchez contributed reporting to this story.
Drew Shaw is a government accountability reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at drew.shaw@fortworthreport.org or @shawlings601.
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