Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)

ESSA Overview

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) is a federal K–12 education law. ESSA was signed into law in 2015, replacing No Child Left Behind, and reauthorizing the original Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), which was signed into law in 1965 by President Lyndon Baines Johnson.

ESSA requires every state to measure performance in reading, math, and science. Every school must inform parents about their standards and their results. 

ESSA requires every state to provide parents important information on test performance in reading, math, and science. The report cards must also provide data on graduation rates, suspensions, absenteeism, teacher qualifications, and many other areas. Texas provides maximum transparency for parents and publicly shares performance information on TXschools.gov and in data reports on the Performance Reporting pages.

Waiver Request for Special Campus Accountability Requirements

The Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 (ESSA), §1111(c)(4)(E)(ii)(II) requires the state to annually measure the achievement of not less than 95 percent of all students based on the number of students participating in state assessments. ESSA §1111(c)(4)(B)(iii) requires the state to annually measure for public high schools the four-year adjusted cohort graduation rate. TEA is requesting a waiver to exclude these special campuses from the participation calculation under ESSA §1111(c)(4)(E)(ii)(II) and from the graduation calculation under ESSA §1111(c)(4)(B)(iii). This waiver is being requested beginning with the 2025–2026 school year and for the next three school years through the 2028–2029 school year.

Prior to submitting the waiver request to the USDE, the draft waiver is available for public comment.  

Texas Waiver Request for Special Campus Accountability Requirements

TEA is accepting public comments regarding the need to request a waiver for these accountability requirements related to special campuses. Please provide comments via email to performance.reporting@tea.texas.gov. The public comment period begins Thursday, December 4, 2025, and ends Wednesday, December 24, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. (CT). For additional information, please see the To the Administrator Addressed correspondence on Waiver Request for Special Campus Accountability Requirements.