Texas Schools

TEXAS EDUCATION AGENCY
1701 N.CONGRESS AVE
AUSTIN, TX 78701
(512) 463-9734

Texas rose nine spots to be ranked 24 out of 50 for the 2005-06 in the "Smartest State" rankings. The rankings are based on Morgan Quinto's annual reference guide "Education State Rankings 2005-06." Quinto rated each state on 21 positive and negative factors focusing on student performance and personal attention from teachers.

Texas has the highest number of students and districts in country, but it still keeps a low class size, averaging 15 students per teacher. As a result of low class size, over 80% of schools met their Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) requirements as part of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2001. Only 7.8% of schools did not make AYP requirements for the 2005-06 school year.

After Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, some schools were not able to start on time and others saw an influx of evacuees after the hurricanes. As a result, the Texas Education Agency was able to change the previously-rigid AYP requirements to account for more students, and students not used to the Texas Education system. While the participation, graduation, and attendance rates were required to stay the same, Hurricane evacuees were able to be put in a special category and weighted differently than native Texans, and some schools affected by Hurricane Rita were not included in the evaluation at all. A total of 11.2% of schools in Texas were not included in the 2006 AYP report.

For more information on a particular schools or district, visit the Texas Education Agency at http://www.tea.state.tx.us.