Texas Ratings Push Austin ISD Toward Takeover After 2 Middle Schools Get 5th F
Updated
Updated · KEYE TV CBS Austin · Aug 14
Texas Ratings Push Austin ISD Toward Takeover After 2 Middle Schools Get 5th F
3 articles · Updated · KEYE TV CBS Austin · Aug 14
Summary
Burnet and Webb middle schools each drew a fifth straight failing TEA rating, putting Austin ISD on track for a state intervention that could close the campuses or replace the elected board.
Sept. 11 is the district’s deadline to appeal the preliminary ratings, which will not become final until December after the agency completes its review.
Dobie Middle School avoided that trigger by improving from four straight failures to a D, while Austin ISD’s overall grade rose to a B and 35 campuses improved by a letter grade.
Months of district efforts fell short: TEA rejected a proposed nonprofit takeover of Burnet, Webb and Dobie, and a rule barred Austin ISD from closing Burnet or Webb during the school year to avoid a fifth failure.
If the ratings stand, Commissioner Mike Morath must choose between a Houston-style board takeover or a Wichita Falls-style campus closure and conservatorship.
How will a state-appointed board drastically alter the future of Austin's students if the district's final accountability appeal fails this December?
With a state takeover looming, what hidden factors kept Austin ISD's last-ditch nonprofit partnership from saving these failing schools?
If over 90% of students face economic hardship, is the state's grading system measuring true academic failure or just punishing systemic poverty?
Austin ISD on the Brink: TEA Takeover Looms After Fifth Consecutive "F" Ratings at Key Middle Schools
Overview
In August 2026, two Austin ISD middle schools received a fifth consecutive 'F' from the Texas Education Agency, triggering a state law that could force school closures or a takeover of the district’s leadership. This crisis unfolded as Austin ISD faced a steep enrollment decline and a $181 million budget deficit, leading to deep staff cuts and campus closures. A failed partnership with a nonprofit left struggling schools without extra support. The report draws on Houston ISD’s recent state takeover, showing that while test scores improved under strict reforms, the district suffered from high teacher turnover, enrollment loss, and cuts to vital programs.