For families across Southwest ISD, the newest Texas school accountability ratings tell a story that is neither simply good nor bad. The district improved its overall score, moved its School Progress rating into the B range and continued to post graduation and college, career and military readiness results above state averages. At the same time, STAAR performance remains below statewide levels in every major subject area, and several individual campuses received D ratings.

Southwest ISD earned an overall 79 out of 100, or a C, for the 2025-26 school year, according to Texas Education Agency school report card data updated Aug. 14. That is up from 77 in 2024-25 and 72 in 2023-24. The district serves 14,839 students across 19 schools.

For parents trying to make sense of the 2026 Southwest ISD accountability rating, the most important takeaway may be the direction of the numbers: several districtwide measures have improved over the past few years, but the latest results also identify clear areas where students are still working to catch up.

School Progress becomes Southwest ISD's strongest accountability category

The district's strongest of the three major academic accountability areas was School Progress, where Southwest ISD earned an 80, or B.

That score increased from 77 in 2024-25 and 73 in 2023-24. School Progress looks at how students perform over time and compares district performance with districts serving similar percentages of economically disadvantaged students.

Within that category, Southwest ISD received an Academic Growth score of 67 and a Relative Performance score of 80. The report estimates that 60% of students made at least one year of academic progress, while the accelerated-learning measure for students who had previously been behind academically was 30%.

Those comparisons carry particular local significance because 79.6% of Southwest ISD students are classified as economically disadvantaged.

For families, the School Progress rating helps answer a question that a single test score cannot: whether students are moving academically from one year to the next. The B rating suggests improvement is occurring even as achievement levels remain an ongoing concern.

Student Achievement rises, but Southwest ISD remains below state STAAR averages

Southwest ISD earned a 75, or C, in Student Achievement, up from 72 the previous year and 69 in 2023-24.

The district's STAAR results, however, remained below Texas averages at the Approaches Grade Level or Above standard across all subjects.

Across all tested subjects, 69% of Southwest ISD students reached Approaches Grade Level or Above, compared with 76% statewide. Reading was 71% in Southwest ISD versus 76% statewide; mathematics was 64% versus 73%; science was 72% versus 79%; and social studies was 73% compared with 77% statewide.

At the Meets Grade Level or Above standard, 41% of Southwest ISD students reached the benchmark across all subjects, compared with 52% statewide. The widest subject gap shown in that category was mathematics, where 32% of district students met grade level compared with 47% statewide.

At Masters Grade Level, Southwest ISD posted 15% across all subjects compared with 24% statewide. Mathematics stood at 10% locally versus 20% statewide, while science was 15% compared with 28% statewide.

Those figures give families a more complete picture than the district's overall C rating alone. Southwest ISD is showing year-over-year improvement in Student Achievement, but closing the distance between local STAAR results and Texas averages remains one of the district's clearest academic challenges.

Graduation and career-readiness results stand out

One of the strongest portions of Southwest ISD's 2026 Texas School Report Card is found beyond the STAAR results.

The district received 94% total credit for College, Career and Military Readiness criteria, compared with 87% statewide.

Several individual measures were also above Texas averages. About 34.9% of Southwest ISD students earned an industry-based certification, compared with 32.4% statewide. Another 5.6% earned an associate degree, compared with 3.5% statewide, and 3.8% enlisted in the U.S. Armed Forces, compared with 2.6% statewide.

The district also reported that 72.5% of students met a broader college-readiness measure that includes qualifying SAT, ACT or TSIA performance or credit for a college-preparation course, compared with 64.7% statewide.

Other college-readiness measures were below the state. About 19.2% reached the college-ready standard specifically through the SAT, ACT or TSIA compared with 34.1% statewide, while 7.5% met qualifying AP or IB exam criteria compared with 23.3% across Texas. Dual-credit attainment stood at 24.9%, compared with 27% statewide.

Southwest ISD also reported a 97.8% four-year graduation rate, well above the statewide rate of 91.2%. Its five-year graduation rate was 96.2% compared with 92.5% statewide, while the six-year rate was 95.3% compared with 92.5%. The district's dropout rate was 0.7%, compared with 1.9% statewide.

Those numbers help explain why the district received a Postsecondary Readiness distinction designation in the state's accountability report.

Closing the Gaps remains a C

Southwest ISD earned a 78, or C, in Closing the Gaps, the accountability category intended to measure how well schools are serving different student groups. The score was unchanged from 2024-25 but was up from 70 in 2023-24.

For all students, the Closing the Gaps data showed academic achievement rates of 47% in reading/language arts and 32% in mathematics, alongside growth rates of 64% in reading/language arts and 60% in mathematics.

Results varied considerably among student groups. Asian students, for example, posted achievement rates of 67% in reading and 56% in mathematics, while the district's High Focus group recorded 43% in reading and 30% in mathematics. The High Focus group showed growth rates of 62% in reading and 59% in mathematics.

The Closing the Gaps report also listed a 97.2% graduation rate for all students, while several student groups posted graduation rates at or above 95%. Some results for smaller student groups were masked by TEA to protect student confidentiality.

One A campus, six B campuses among ratings shown

The districtwide score only tells part of the story because Southwest ISD's campus ratings vary significantly.

CAST STEM High School earned an A, the highest rating among the campuses listed in the district's TEA school report card.

Six listed campuses earned B ratings: Big Country Elementary, Ronald E. McNair Middle School, Southwest Elementary, Southwest High School, Southwest Legacy High School and Sun Valley Elementary.

Four listed campuses received C ratings: Elm Creek Elementary, Francis R. Scobee Middle School, Indian Creek Elementary and Sharon Christa McAuliffe Middle School.

Five listed campuses received D ratings: Bob Hope Elementary, Hidden Cove STEAM Academy, Judith A. Resnik Middle School, Kriewald Road School of the Arts and Medio Creek Elementary.

Bexar County JJAEP was listed as Not Rated. The TEA district page identifies Southwest ISD as having 19 schools, although the uploaded campus summary displays ratings or status for 18 campuses.

That range of campus grades matters to families because a districtwide C does not mean every Southwest ISD school is performing at the same level. A family's experience — and the academic challenges facing educators — can look very different from one campus to another.

Southwest ISD serves a student population with diverse needs

The district profile provides additional context behind the accountability results.

Of Southwest ISD's 14,839 students, 79.6% are economically disadvantaged, 20.4% receive special education services and 18.9% are classified as emergent bilingual students.

The district reported a 91.9% attendance rate and a chronic absenteeism rate of 28%.

Southwest ISD employs approximately 2,217 full-time-equivalent staff members, including about 1,023 teachers. The district reported 14.5 students per teacher and an average teacher salary of $69,384.

Those numbers are an important part of understanding Southwest ISD school performance. Accountability scores reflect testing and outcome data, but the day-to-day work behind those scores happens in classrooms serving students with a broad range of academic, language and educational needs.

Southwest ISD receives an A for financial accountability

Separate from the academic accountability system, Southwest ISD received a 92 out of 100, or A, under the state's FIRST financial accountability system. The 2024-25 FIRST rating is based on fiscal year 2024 data.

The TEA financial report lists approximately $226.1 million in revenue across all funds and $314.8 million in expenditures across all funds. Those totals come from different fund and fiscal reporting categories and should not by themselves be interpreted as a simple annual operating deficit without additional district financial context.

For taxpayers and families, the A FIRST rating provides a separate measure of how the district meets state financial accountability standards, distinct from its academic C rating.

What the 2026 Southwest ISD rating means for families

The latest Texas school ratings leave Southwest ISD with two realities at the same time.

The district is moving upward. Its overall accountability score has climbed from 72 in 2023-24 to 77 in 2024-25 and now 79. School Progress has reached a B, Student Achievement has improved for two consecutive years, graduation rates remain well above state averages and college, career and military readiness results are a clear strength.

But the district has not yet crossed into an overall B rating, Closing the Gaps remains a C, several campuses are rated D, and Southwest ISD students continue to trail statewide STAAR averages — particularly at the Meets and Masters levels.

For Southwest ISD parents, students, teachers and taxpayers, those are likely to be the numbers worth watching as the 2026-27 school year moves forward: whether academic growth begins translating into higher achievement, whether struggling campuses improve and whether the district can build on the graduation and career-readiness success already reflected in the latest Texas Education Agency data.

My Neighborhood News will continue following Southwest ISD schools, Texas accountability ratings and education developments affecting families across the southwest San Antonio community.

By Tiffany Krenek, My Neighborhood News 

Tiffany Krenek has been on the My Neighborhood News team since August 2021. She is passionate about curating and sharing content that enriches the lives of our readers in a personal, meaningful way. A loving mother and wife, Tiffany and her family live in the West Houston/Cypress region.

Local business spotlight

Grow your business
where trust already lives.

Let’s introduce your business to the neighbors nearby.

Spotlight My Business →

Have a local favorite? Recommend a business