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“Our focus on growth is evident.”
— Dr. Jana Rueter, superintendent
District officials say education in Elgin is moving in a positive direction across the board, despite how a low-end state grading metric may appear.
Elgin Independent School District improved its Texas Education Agency accountability rating score this year, climbing five points under a tougher state system that has produced mixed results across Texas. The district’s overall score rose from 61 in 2024 to 66 in 2025, according to the ratings released last month.
“While our scores are not yet where we would like them to be, we are excited that the ratings increased substantially and we are confident in the direction Elgin ISD is headed,” Superintendent Jana Rueter said. “Our focus on growth is evident.”
The results keep Elgin ISD in TEA’s D range, above the threshold that would trigger state intervention. Statewide, 24% of districts improved their grades this year while 15% saw a decline, data shows.
Individually, most Elgin campuses improved their ratings, including a 10-point gain at Booker T. Washington Elementary and a nine-point increase at Elgin Middle School. District officials credited the progress in part to strategies from its Teaching and Learning initiatives, such as moving fifth graders to their zoned elementary campuses and offering pre-kindergarten at all campuses for qualifying students.
Deputy Superintendent Stormy Hickman recently told trustees that the district’s own regular assessments also offer data to help monitor student achievement and growth throughout the year.
“Formative assessment processes allow us to make instructional adjustments that leave no student behind,” Hickman said, adding that Measures of Academic Progress testing has already begun and will set a baseline for the school year. “That will be our current reality, our place to start, so that we know we’re moving forward.”
Rueter noted that attendance improvements are part of the district’s academic progress. Elgin ISD is seeing not only increased enrollment, but school programs are driving consistent attendance, according to reports.
“All campuses have plans in place to increase their attendance, including strong partnerships with parents,” she said. “We look forward to continuing to work together to increase student attendance and academic achievement.”
The release of this year’s scores marked the first time since COVID-19 that the state issued accountability ratings and its accountability manual on schedule. No ratings were released in 2021, and only partial ratings were given in 2022 as schools worked through uneven pandemic impacts.
In 2023, the STAAR exam was overhauled into STAAR 2.0, requiring online testing starting in third grade, adding new writing components and adjusting passing standards. The 2023 accountability manual was not released until October, five months after the school year, prompting lawsuits by several districts that continued into 2025.
Elgin ISD currently enrolls just over 6,100 students and expects steady growth over the next decade, officials said.
