Several schools and districts in the Austin area have been honored with a place on the 2025 Texas Honor Roll, recognizing their exceptional student achievement in mathematics and reading. This prestigious designation is awarded to around 15% of eligible campuses, based on their performance on the STAAR tests over the past three years, which demonstrated consistent results above the state average.
A significant factor in the evaluation process is the economic disadvantage of student populations, as schools are assessed on their effectiveness in closing achievement gaps for lower-income students. The 2025 Texas Honor Roll has revealed which districts and individual campuses have received this recognition.
Overview of the Texas Honor Roll
The Texas Honor Roll is compiled annually by the Educational Results Partnership (ERP) in collaboration with the Campaign for Business and Education Excellence. It highlights schools that excel in student achievement based on comprehensive data analysis.
2025 Texas School Rankings
According to program officials, approximately 15% of eligible Texas schools and 14.5% of districts were awarded Honor Roll status in 2025. This analysis utilizes STAAR test results and publicly available data from the Texas Education Agency (TEA) covering the 2023, 2024, and 2025 testing cycles.
To qualify for the Honor Roll, a school or district must show comprehensive performance above the mean at least 80% of the time across all student cohorts and grade levels. Eligibility requirements include a minimum enrollment of 100 students for schools and 500 students for districts.
Evaluation Criteria
In order to ensure equitable comparisons, schools were classified into two categories: STAR Schools and Districts, which serve 33% or more economically disadvantaged students, and Scholar Schools and Districts, which serve fewer than 33% of such students. The evaluation focused on math and reading outcomes for all students, as well as specific subgroups, including economically disadvantaged students, those receiving special education services, and major racial and ethnic groups.
Even schools with strong overall performance could be excluded if the results for Black or Hispanic students were found to be significantly below expectations, unless there was clear evidence of year-to-year improvement in both math and reading outcomes.
After the initial analysis, the final list of recognized schools and districts underwent an independent review to ensure accuracy and adherence to the established evaluation methodology.
Future Directions
Officials involved in the Honor Roll initiative indicated that this recognition serves not only to celebrate high-performing schools but also to promote the sharing of effective educational practices among educators throughout the state.
