Meanwhile, other Tarrant County-area school districts broadly maintained their state accountability grades, with three jumping up a letter and none seeing a decline.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Texas Education Agency on Friday released the 2024 and 2025 A-F ratings that measure districts\u2019 and campuses\u2019 academic performance.<\/p>\n
Lake Worth ISD sits near Fort Worth\u2019s northwest borders. The elementary school, Marilyn Miller Language Academy<\/a>, enrolls about 500 students, 91% of whom are from low-income families and 43.6% are emerging bilingual learners, according to state data.<\/p>\n 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe understand where we are as a district, and we see this as an opportunity to grow,\u201d school board President Armando Velazquez said in the news release. \u201cWith 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.\u201d<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n In the state\u2019s eyes, any district that has a failing campus for at least five years faces persistent low academic performance. Texas law requires the commissioner<\/a> to either close the failing campuses or appoint a new board of managers for a district, replacing the superintendent and elected school board.<\/p>\n Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath has said he expects to make a decision on Fort Worth ISD\u2019s fate in the fall after visiting the district soon. He has not made public comments on Lake Worth ISD.\u00a0<\/p>\n TEA officials declined to comment on any possible intervention action.<\/p>\n Lake Worth is entering the school year with a new superintendent<\/a>, Mark Ramirez, who started in May.\u00a0<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Steven Poole, executive director of the United Educators Association that represents area teachers, said Lake Worth\u2019s situation is a tough one that\u2019s heavily impacted by declining enrollment.\u00a0<\/p>\n Just before the COVID-19 pandemic in the 2019-20 school year, the district had nearly 3,600 students.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe new superintendent should be able to prove himself,\u201d Poole said. \u201cLet\u2019s 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.\u201d<\/p>\n Surrounding Tarrant County districts react to their ratings<\/p>\n Eagle Mountain-Saginaw ISD Superintendent Jerry Hollingsworth, whose district maintained a C for the third year, said that while the grades are important, \u201cnumbers don\u2019t tell the whole story.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cJust like our students, we are learners, too,\u201d Hollingsworth said in a statement. \u201cWe\u2019ll 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.\u201d<\/p>\n Of the 18 Tarrant County-area districts, two earned A\u2019s \u2014 Aledo and Carroll, for both years.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Crowley and Everman school districts stepped from D\u2019s to C\u2019s.<\/p>\n Individual campus grades can be searched for at TXschools.gov<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cToday marks a return to clarity and accountability,\u201d Morath said in a news release<\/a>. \u201cWith 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.\u201d<\/p>\n 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n The ratings are largely based on how well students do on STAAR, or State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness.\u00a0<\/p>\n The scores\u2019 release comes as Fort Worth ISD, a district of about 70,000 students, braces for a potential state takeover<\/a> because of failing ratings. While FWISD saw improvement, Morath must weigh a takeover after 2023 scores \u2014 released in April<\/a> \u2014 triggered a Texas law requiring state intervention<\/a>.<\/p>\n 2024 grades release after legal stall<\/p>\n Texas school leaders have had mixed feelings toward the A-F grades since the rating system\u2019s launch in 2017. Elected trustees and superintendents across the state have expressed concerns over changing<\/a> standards and the measure\u2019s emphasis on STAAR <\/a>results.<\/p>\n Some districts sued the state<\/a> over the system in recent years, delaying the grades release.<\/p>\n The 2024 grades were stalled by a lawsuit over concerns that the state\u2019s new computer grading system<\/a> would result in unfair scoring.<\/p>\n In July, a state appeals court gave Texas the go-ahead to release the ratings.<\/p>\n Anthony Tosie, executive director of communications for Northwest ISD, which received a B, said the district doesn\u2019t 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 \u201csingle-day, high-stakes\u201d test is the best measure of learning.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cOur district continues to advocate for lawmakers to abolish the STAAR test and focus on personalized learning and continuous improvement of every child,\u201d the spokesperson said.<\/p>\n Friday, Gov. Greg Abbott called a second special session<\/a> that included asking legislators to eliminate STAAR and replace it with other tools to assess student progress.<\/p>\n Keller ISD, which received a B, echoed a similar sentiment to Tosie in a statement, calling the state\u2019s accountability ratings \u201csimply one point of data among many\u201d that are considered when determining success.<\/p>\n Many Texas districts often use various ways to track academics.\u00a0<\/p>\n In Northwest, for example, the district prefers Measures of Academic Progress<\/a>, or MAP, testing, which Tosie described as a low-stress evaluation taken at various intervals throughout the year.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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 \u201cstrong changes\u201d in instruction and support systems to push academic growth, he said.<\/p>\n \u201cThis year\u2019s results show both successes and challenges, a reminder that while we celebrate progress, we still have important work ahead,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Editor\u2019s note: This story was updated the afternoon of Aug. 15, 2025, with statements from Lake Worth ISD and the Texas Education Agency.<\/p>\n Education editor Jacob Sanchez contributed reporting to this story.<\/p>\n Drew Shaw is a government accountability reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at drew.shaw@fortworthreport.org<\/a> or @shawlings601<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here<\/a>.<\/p>\n \n\tRelated\n<\/p>\n Fort Worth Report is certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative<\/a> for adhering to standards for ethical journalism.<\/p>\n Republish This Story<\/p>\n
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