Texas’ Largest School District Sees Test Scores Soar After State Takeover Despite Racism Claims
The Houston Independent School District (HISD), Texas’ largest school system serving over 168,000 students, has seen dramatic improvements in test scores and school ratings since the Texas Education Agency (TEA) took over the district in June 2023, replacing its elected school board with a state-appointed board of managers and installing Superintendent Mike Miles.
According to data provided to Fox News, A-rated and B-rated campuses more than doubled from 93 to 197 across the school system since the takeover began. The district has eliminated all F-rated campuses and reduced D-rated campuses from 121 to just 18.
Students in grades 3 through 8 showed substantial improvements in reading and math on the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) tests. High school students also made significant year-over-year gains in algebra, English, biology, and U.S. history, narrowing performance gaps compared to state averages.
Phillis Wheatley High School, whose chronic academic failure initially triggered the state intervention, improved from a “D” to a “B” rating by 2024.
The Reform Model
Superintendent Miles, appointed by the state, introduced the New Education System (NES) model, which has since expanded to approximately 130 campuses. The model features a centralized, standardized curriculum, “Team Centers” for advanced students, higher pay for educators, and additional support staff such as learning coaches.
“People may have worried about the intervention, and I understand the politics of that, but really it was focused on kids, achievement, and their future — not adult issues,” Miles told Fox News Digital. “We have shown that we can make any district that’s struggling, especially large or medium urban districts, move very quickly to do right by kids and raise achievement results.”
Miles acknowledged the controversy surrounding the takeover: “We made comprehensive reforms — not just one change, not just two changes. We made several systemic changes, and that’s going to upset the apple cart for a lot of people.”
Racism Allegations and Civil Rights Complaints
However, the academic gains have come alongside significant controversy. Critics — including the ACLU of Texas, the Houston NAACP, and the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) — have argued that the 2023 intervention was racially motivated. HISD’s student body is approximately 90% Black and Hispanic, and the state dissolved a locally elected school board chosen by voters in a majority-minority city.
In April 2023, the civil rights groups filed a formal complaint with the U.S. Department of Justice, alleging violations of the Voting Rights Act. The ACLU of Texas stated at the time: “The state takeover of HISD is not about public education — it’s about political control of a 90 percent Black and brown student body in one of the country’s most diverse cities.”
Enrollment Exodus and Teacher Turnover
Despite the academic improvements, HISD has lost more than 15,000 students — about 9% of its enrollment — since the takeover, with losses accelerating from roughly 2% annually pre-takeover to approximately 4% annually post-takeover. A University of Houston report found that enrollment declines were most pronounced in entry grades, suggesting families are opting out when faced with active enrollment decisions.
“Moving into a school district to try to improve it, and having that many students leave is a clear indicator that the change that the state issued is not a welcome one,” said Toni Templeton, senior research scientist at UH’s Institute for Education Policy Research and Evaluation.
The teacher workforce has also undergone dramatic changes. Nearly half of HISD employees were hired after June 2023, and the share of uncertified teachers has risen to nearly one in five. More than 2,300 teachers left the district in June 2025 alone.
Templeton added: “We are continuing to investigate the degree to which long-term, lasting improvement can be attained with a declining student population and an increasingly inexperienced and uncertified teacher workforce.”
State and Community Reactions
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has heavily praised the intervention. “Texas children deserve the best education possible, which requires a strong accountability system,” Andrew Mahaleris, Abbott’s press secretary, told Fox News Digital. “Since the appointment of a Board of Managers, Houston ISD has shown meaningful improvement in student achievement.”
Bob Sanborn, president and CEO of the education advocacy group Children at Risk, acknowledged the academic improvements while expressing reservations about the process. “I think the messenger and the way the message is delivered isn’t always the best way, and I think that obviously we would much rather have an elected school board who chooses a superintendent of their own choosing, not one of the state’s, but I think that you’ve seen really nice results,” he told the Houston Chronicle.
What’s Next
The state takeover of HISD is scheduled to continue through at least June 1, 2027, under a timeline set by Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath. Miles has pledged to have only A- or B-rated campuses by 2027 and plans to launch up to 100 “Future 2” AI-focused campuses by 2031.
However, questions remain about whether the academic gains can be sustained amid declining enrollment and an increasingly inexperienced teacher workforce. Research has shown that academic improvements from state takeovers nationally have often diminished over time. The outcome of the federal civil rights complaint filed with the DOJ also remains unresolved.
For now, HISD stands as a case study in the high-stakes trade-offs of state intervention in local education — demonstrating that rapid academic improvement is possible, but often comes at a significant cost to community trust, enrollment stability, and workforce continuity.