We’re examining how state takeovers affect Texas students, families and educators. Share your experiences or questions to help guide our reporting.

The high price tag, coupled with less state funding from students leaving the district, raises questions about whether the academic improvements are sustainable in the long run and whether other districts can afford to replicate it.

Appointed a decade ago, the education commissioner insists that when he has direct oversight, academic gains follow. His critics await better student outcomes.

The new accountability data includes student achievement indicators and STAAR scores. Financial data has been updated as well.

Kirk Watson, a former state legislator, says a parent petition could stop the Texas Education Agency from taking over Austin ISD.

In this week’s episode, the podcast crew discusses the state’s new social studies curriculum, and the concerns from Muslims that it portrays their religion as violent.

The score changes are part of an annual process to review the accuracy of STAAR results, state officials said.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick’s latest push to restrict what students can access adds to Texas school librarians’ angst, the educators said.

This is the first year for education savings accounts, which allow Texas families to use taxpayer dollars for private or home schooling.

These school districts had a school fail state academic A-F ratings for a fourth consecutive year in 2026.

The final votes conclude years of debate over how social studies lessons should broach race and religion.

From school takeovers to college affordability, the Democrat and Republican are rolling out their education priorities ahead of November’s election.

More districts across Texas are at risk of intervention by the state’s education commissioner. Here’s what that means for public schools.

“We’re coming for the books,” the lieutenant governor said in announcing plans to lower the performance rating of Texas schools that violate a recent law targeting obscene titles in school libraries.

Some districts use the temporary work permits to fill critical teacher shortages in roles such as bilingual education.

The Colorado district scrapped plans to use Bluebonnet materials just days into the school year.

Two middle schools received their fifth consecutive F grades from the Texas Education Agency.

Texas grades public schools largely on how well students perform on the STAAR tests.

Austin ISD had two campuses failing state ratings for five consecutive years.

Thursday’s announcement, which comes a day before TEA publicly releases accountability ratings statewide, moves Austin ISD one step closer to potential state intervention after months of district efforts to avoid it.

One of the state’s most important topics and one of its most important regions will get more attention.

Black Texas families weigh whether to send their children to schools with more academic resources — but potentially fewer of their values.

The Waco school district is one of the latest to partner with the Third Future charter network as a last-ditch effort to stave off state intervention.

The number of Texas students using taxpayer money for private school or home-school could increase as more families accept invites.

Rising uncertainty has led businesses that depend on the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) pact to pull back on investment in Texas, experts say.

Property-wealthy districts say recapture gives the state too much control over local finances. But advocates warn that without it, underserved students could end up worse off.

Midland school trustees argue they have minimal control over local taxes and can’t properly serve students as a recapture system redistributes millions of the district’s revenue.

A man convicted of libel in Britain helped spur investigations into Islamic private schools applying to Texas’ voucher program, legal filings say.

Despite the spike in demand for measles shots following the deadly 2025 outbreak, exemptions on all vaccines for schoolchildren rose after the release of a downloadable exemption form.

The Texas Tribune has created a searchable database of the latest vaccine rates for school districts and private schools and how they’ve changed in the last year.

A Democratic board member says colleagues harassed her in social media posts during Texas’ debate over how history is taught. The GOP members deny any bullying.

A required reading list before the State Board of Education would present a predominantly Christian perspective to public school students, Jewish leaders say.

The State Board of Education approved the reading lists and K-8 social studies changes after months of debates.

The chosen readings, to be voted on soon by the State Board of Education, draw heavily from Christian perspectives.

Elementary and middle school students attending Texas public schools showed small gains on state math exams but remained relatively flat in reading.

Pandemic disruptions put many children behind, but newly released end-of-course results show students making progress.

Texas’ charters continued growing this school year, but the pace slowed. Experts warn that the enrollment drop facing traditional school districts could also affect charters.

Native American crops and storytelling connect students, families and culture at this Austin elementary.

Public school leaders told lawmakers how they're navigating finances, teacher quality and special education after last year’s state funding overhaul.

School officers across the state turned to heavy-handed tactics on children, often in response to minor misbehavior, investigation shows.

TEA officials on Thursday denied the district’s request to approve a partnership to run its three chronically failing schools that would have put a pause on the campuses' accountability rating.

Lawmakers increasingly view disciplinary alternative programs as a solution to behavior problems. Critics say they harm students

Our podcast looks into declining public school enrollment and other impacts of the federal immigration crackdown.

Student Ammer Qaddumi is suing the university after he was suspended for his involvement in the 2024 demonstrations, calling it a violation of his free speech rights.

Latino children accounted for the vast majority of students who left public schools this year, according to a new analysis.

The National Board Certification is widely considered the most demanding for teachers. Texas leaders are examining whether it fits the state’s merit-based system.

Houston school administrators say the move would give children who need the support more focused attention. But the U.S. Department of Education worries the plan amounts to segregation.

Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath has appointed new leaders in four districts across the state in recent weeks.

The 1965 federal law helped Latino and Black voters gain representation in city and school boards across Texas but now that could change.

Families have until July 15 to opt in to the education savings accounts, or ESAs, which launches next school year.

Texas wants all school buses to have 3-point seat belts by 2029-30. But the price tag is high for local districts also facing budget challenges.

Former Houston school administrators now work as superintendents or key executives in three districts under Texas’ control. This is Beaumont’s second state intervention in recent years.

While East Texas areas are struggling with a chronic lack of care, hope is being seen in the South and West.

A renowned Texas journalist, the Education Writers Association president joins us as we expand our team covering Texas schools and universities.

The State Board of Education approved an early draft of social studies changes, setting up a vote in June that will determine how students learn history over the next decade.

The board will have multiple opportunities to revise the list before a final vote in June. Before recent changes, the proposal’s length, lack of diversity and Christian focus received criticism.

The Texas Public Policy Foundation awarded the grant to Schreiner University’s Texas Center, which is led by a historian guiding the state in its social studies revision.

Students, parents and teachers say Texas’ new social studies plan feels rushed and will exclude key perspectives and historical events.

One Black Texan sees education savings accounts as an escape from a burning house. Another fears they threaten a robust public school system.

Of the almost 275,000 students who applied for vouchers, 45% are white and 75% attended a private school or home-school in 2024-25, final numbers show.

Today, we are unveiling our most ambitious update yet to The Texas Tribune’s schools explorer, with more information and added context to help Texans interpret information about our schools.

The explorer now shows long-term trends, school funding data, and newly released Texas Academic Performance Reports, among other updates.

In this week’s episode, hosts Matthew and Eleanor talk with Tribune K-12 education reporter Jaden Edison about who in Texas applied for school vouchers and why Muslim schools were shut out of the program.

The Waco school district is expected to be the latest to contract with the charter operator founded by Mike Miles, the state-appointed superintendent of Houston schools.

An investigation ordered by Gov. Greg Abbott found that less than half a percent of federal money spent on child care scholarships in Texas was considered “improper.”

Schools were also directed to cancel or change celebrations of the late civil rights leader amid allegations of sexual abuse.

Several Islamic schools sued Texas for excluding them from the voucher program. Iman Academy is instead calling for fairness while hoping to be judged by its work — not stereotypes.

The application period, set to close Tuesday night, must now remain open until March 31, according to an attorney representing Islamic schools.

After reporting from The Texas Tribune, the office tasked with handing out vouchers clarified that families who do not complete a special education evaluation this year may have a chance to qualify for more funding in future years.

The drones, operated from a tactical center in Austin, can deliver medical supplies and even attack potential assailants, the company said.

Confusion over the program’s special education requirements is making it difficult for families to meet a looming deadline — and creating more work for Texas school districts.

The threat of a Texas Education Agency takeover was triggered by one of the North Texas district’s schools that had been underperforming for years.

The Texas comptroller’s office will conduct a lottery the week of April 27 to determine which additional families can receive education savings accounts.

School boards had until March 1 to decide whether to establish a daily period for students and staff to pray or read religious texts.

Taxpayers will bear the cost of fixing errors in learning materials published by the Texas Education Agency. The curriculum has drawn attention for its references to Christianity and the Bible.

Students who took English and math college prep courses were less likely to complete college than their peers who were not considered college ready at all.

Paxton said his office is examining claims that administrators and faculty helped organize the demonstrations.

More than 100,000 Texas families have applied for the state’s new Education Freedom Account program in less than two weeks. Here’s what to know before the March 17 deadline.

Families filed applications for more than 100,000 students by mid-February. The application period will close March 17.

The state education agency issued guidance to districts after Gov. Greg Abbott directed its commissioner to investigate the student protests of killings by federal agents.

Concerned about Texas’ social studies overhaul, Democrats on the State Board of Education used a recent meeting to push for the inclusion of more Black and Indigenous perspectives and for young children to learn about the horrific nature of slavery.

State Board of Education members criticized the publishing errors and postponed their vote on the agency’s request until their next meeting.

Faced with a proposed list of almost 300 readings for K-12 students, the State Board of Education delayed a vote until April.

The demographic makeup of the “trigger” schools raises questions about whether Texas' accountability system fairly considers historic inequities tied to race and poverty.

The governor said public universities and state agencies may not seek new visas without Texas Workforce Commission permission through the end of the 2027 legislative session.

A CAIR official blasted the Texas AG’s opinion, saying the law does not permit the comptroller to scrutinize Muslim schools because of their religious identity.

Talarico’s two years as a public school teacher is central to his Democratic Senate campaign after shaping his policy goals and driving his political rise through the Texas House.

Bill Elliott was placed on administrative leave in October after his son, a football coach at Celina’s middle school, was accused of secretly filming boys in the school’s locker room. A district report found he pressured the principal to hire his son.

Several court hearings and policies affecting education, health and more will roll out in the new year.

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The Tribune’s team of data journalists produced a congressional redistricting tool, covered several education data releases, visualized the measles outbreak and more.

West Texas parents say racist incidents are going unchecked after the Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights retreated from investigating schools.

Acting Texas Comptroller Kelly Hancock suggested schools that hosted events for the Council on American-Islamic Relations or are linked to China could be disqualified from the new program.

Texas has long failed to get most of its students the higher education credentials the workforce increasingly demands. But recent laws that reward schools for helping students succeed later in life could help the state make up lost ground, experts say. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board regularly tracks if students enrolled in eighth grade […]

Newly-released state data tracked the long-term outcomes of public school students who enrolled a decade ago.

A limited group of families with 3- and 4-year-olds who already qualify for free public pre-K can receive state funds to attend private preschool.

The top-ranked Celina High School football team is barrelling toward another state championship this month. Its coach is barred from the field.

The three interventions come after the state’s education agency announced plans to take over Fort Worth ISD in October.

Texas cities and counties already face limits on how much revenue they can generate. Local leaders have warned that further restrictions would mean fewer services like parks and libraries.

The former Houston ISD superintendent was the first Black person to lead the Department of Education and helped launch the No Child Left Behind Act.