This story has been updated because a school district was originally included under the wrong grade ranking.
The Texas Education Agency has released its 2023-24 and 2024-25 A–F accountability ratings, offering a snapshot of school performance across the Amarillo area, the Texas Panhandle, and the state.
Amarillo-area districts mostly held steady in the B range, with Canyon and Bushland ISDs leading locally while River Road ISD struggled at the lower end. Amarillo ISD is the largest district in the region with 55 schools accounted for in 2024-25, before three schools closed after that school year, bringing the number down to 52. By comparison, Canyon ISD includes 21 schools. Small rural districts — some with just one to three schools — once again dominated the Panhandle’s top tier, earning some of the state’s highest marks.
Amarillo-area districts
Amarillo ISD: Holding steady, but uneven
Amarillo ISD, the Panhandle’s largest district, earned a B overall (83). But its 55 campuses reflected sharp contrasts between thriving schools and those struggling to break out of the D range.
Top performers:
Lowest performers:
Amarillo ISD closed three campuses at the end of the 2024–25 school year that had varied scores — Pleasant Valley (B–A–A), Sunrise (B–A–A), and Park Hills (D–C–D). The mixed performance of those schools highlights both the district’s successes and its persistent challenges.
Canyon and Bushland ISDs: Leading the Amarillo-area
Canyon ISD posted a strong B (88), buoyed by its high schools. Canyon High School rose to an A, Randall High held a B, and West Plains High also earned a B. While elementary results were more mixed — Gene Howe and Lakeview both slipped to C’s — Canyon’s secondary campuses helped balance the picture.
Bushland ISD also stood out, breaking into the A category with a 90. Bushland High School once again led the way with consistent A scores, while Bushland Junior High earned its first A after steady improvement.
Canyon Superintendent Dr. Darryl Flusche said the results show forward momentum: “These results reflect the dedication of our teachers, staff, students, and families. We are proud to see continued growth and excellence across our campuses, and we remain committed to achieving even higher levels of success moving forward.”
Highland Park and River Road ISDs
Highland Park ISD earned a B (83), with solid though unspectacular results across its three campuses.
River Road ISD fell behind the pack with a C (71). Both of its elementary schools received F ratings, leaving only its middle and high schools in the C range. The district’s results underline ongoing struggles in early-grade performance.
Overall picture: Panhandle leaders and laggards
Small rural districts once again dominated the top of the list, with Gruver, Hartley, Nazareth, Silverton, and Turkey-Quitaque ISDs each scoring 95 — the highest marks in the region. Claude and Vega followed close behind at 94, while Miami ISD posted a 93.
At the other end of the scale, Hereford, Lefors, and Tulia ISDs each received D grades. Tulia finished with the region’s lowest overall score at 65.
Statewide comparison
Across the Panhandle, 31 districts earned A or B ratings, while 14 finished with C’s and three with D’s. That means about 66% of Panhandle districts met the higher performance bar, compared to 80% of campuses statewide receiving an A, B, or C. Roughly 16% of Panhandle districts landed in the D range, close to the 14% of campuses statewide earning a D or F.
Statewide, 757 campuses improved their rating from 2024 to 2025. About one in four districts also improved their overall letter grade by at least one level, and 55% of districts earned either an A or B this cycle — up from 48% the year before.
How Texas calculates the ratings
Texas uses a 100-point system, translating into A–F letter grades, to evaluate schools and districts. Ratings are based on three domains: Student Achievement, School Progress, and Closing the Gaps.
The higher score between Student Achievement and School Progress counts for 70% of the final rating, while Closing the Gaps makes up the remaining 30%. District scores are weighted by enrollment, combining results across campuses.
Panhandle district ratings (2024–25)
A Grades (90–95): Bushland (Potter) – 90 Channing (Hartley) – 90 Claude (Armstrong) – 94 Farwell (Parmer) – 90 Gruver (Hansford) – 95 Hart (Castro) – 90 Hartley (Hartley) – 95 Miami (Roberts) – 93 Nazareth (Castro) – 95 Panhandle (Carson) – 91 Plemons-Stinnett-Phillips (Hutchinson) – 90 Silverton (Briscoe) – 95 Springlake-Earth (Lamb) – 92 Texline (Dallam) – 90 Turkey-Quitaque (Hall) – 95 Vega (Oldham) – 94 Walcott (Deaf Smith) – 91
B Grades (80–89): Adrian (Moore) – 83 Amarillo (Potter, Randall) – 83 Booker (Lipscomb, Ochiltree) – 84 Borger (Hutchinson) – 82 Canadian (Hemphill) – 89 Canyon (Randall) – 88 Chillicothe (Hardeman) – 86 Clarendon (Donley) – 82 Fort Elliott (Wheeler) – 84 Happy (Swisher, Randall) – 84 Hedley (Donley) – 88 Highland Park (Potter) – 83 Kelton (Wheeler) – 85 Kress (Swisher) – 82 McLean (Gray) – 81 Memphis (Hall) – 88 Paducah (Cottle) – 83 Perryton (Ochiltree) – 84 Shamrock (Wheeler) – 80 Spearman (Hansford) – 86 Stratford (Sherman) – 83 Sunray (Moore) – 84 Texhoma (Sherman) – 89 Wellington (Collingsworth) – 86 Wheeler (Wheeler) – 85 White Deer (Carson) – 86 Wildorado (Oldham) – 88
C Grades (70–79): Bovina (Parmer) – 72 Dalhart (Dallam, Hartley) – 72 Darrouzett (Lipscomb) – 75 Dimmitt (Castro) – 74 Friona (Parmer) – 77 Follett (Lipscomb) – 72 Grandview-Hopkins (Gray) – 79 Groom (Carson) – 75 Lazbuddie (Parmer) – 74 Pampa (Gray) – 75 Pringle-Morse (Moore) – 77 River Road (Potter) – 71 Sanford-Fritch (Hutchinson) – 74
D Grades (below 70): Hereford (Deaf Smith) – 69 Lefors (Gray) – 69 Tulia (Swisher) – 65
Not Rated: Boys Ranch (Oldham)
This year’s ratings reaffirm a familiar pattern: Panhandle schools as a whole perform solidly, with rural districts often excelling and larger systems like Amarillo ISD showing both bright spots and persistent struggles. For Amarillo and Canyon, the challenge ahead will be pushing more campuses into the A range, while districts like River Road, Hereford, and Tulia face the tougher task of lifting their lowest-performing schools.
This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Panhandle schools show strong results in TEA ratings, but gaps remain
Reporting by Michael Cuviello, Amarillo Globe-News / Amarillo Globe-News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
