AUSTIN – The Texas Education Agency today released accreditation statuses for school districts and charters across the state. Accreditation statuses are based on state academic accountability ratings, the Financial Integrity Rating System of Texas (known commonly as School FIRST), data reporting, special program effectiveness, and compliance with statutory and regulatory requirements.

Of 1,199 Texas school districts and charter school districts, 1,180 (98 percent) received a status designation of Accredited for the 2016-2017 school year. An Accredited status recognizes districts and charters as a public school that meets specific academic and financial standards. 

Under the Texas Education Code, the commissioner of education annually assigns accreditation statuses to each school district. Accreditation statuses for the 2016-2017 school year include: Accredited (1,180); Accredited-Warned (9); Accredited-Probation (7); Not Accredited-Revoked (2); and Pending (1). 

An Accredited-Warned status means a district or charter exhibits deficiencies in academic and/or financial performance that, if not addressed, could lead to probation or revocation of its accreditation status. For the 2016-2017 school year, 7 school districts and 2 charter schools received an Accredited-Warned accreditation status.

An Accredited-Probation status means a district or charter exhibits deficiencies in academic and/or financial performance over a three-year period, or in both academic and financial performance over a two-year period.  These deficiencies must be addressed by the district to avoid revocation of its accreditation status. For the 2016-2017 school year, 5 school districts and 2 charter schools received an Accredited-Probation accreditation status.

A Not Accredited-Revoked status means the Texas Education Agency does not recognize the district or charter as a Texas public school following multiple years of deficiencies in academic and/or financial performance. For the 2016-2017 school year, two school districts received a Not Accredited-Revoked accreditation status. 

Note that the school districts assigned an initial Not Accredited-Revoked status have the opportunity for a review at the Texas Education Agency, and ultimately the opportunity for a review at the State Office of Administrative Hearings.

The accreditation status of one district has been left pending due to pending litigation.

The 2016-2017 accreditation status for each school district and charter school district can be found on the Texas Education Agency website at http://tea.texas.gov/accredstatus. 

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