Some of El Paso’s largest school districts made strides in academic performance under the Texas Education Agency’s A-F accountability rating system, despite recent financial challenges that forced them to cut costs.
The El Paso, Socorro and Clint independent school districts raised their scores by at least one point on their numerical scores, while Canutillo ISD maintained the same score it had last year. Ysleta ISD is the only district that saw its overall score drop by one point, though it has more A-rated campuses than any other district in the region.
Canutillo ISD received a C rating, while all other districts received a B.
The state released 2026 scores Friday for the rating system that assigns districts and their campuses a letter grade based on metrics such as student performance on standardized tests, graduation rates and college readiness. The ratings are meant to give parents, community members and the state information on how schools and districts are performing, and where they may need improvement.
Schools and districts with low ratings may face additional state monitoring and interventions. Those that receive a D rating or below for several consecutive years could ultimately face a state takeover if improvements aren’t made.
Despite the gains, some district leaders worry financial challenges could derail their success.
“Any time that you’re facing financial uncertainty, there is a possibility that you don’t have enough revenue to do all of the things that we’ve been doing for 12 years,” YISD Superintendent Xavier De La Torre said. “If you start removing resources, there’s no question that it will make the job more difficult for the teachers, and when you make the job that is already incredibly difficult more difficult, you’ll see the results in how students perform.”
YISD’s expenses have exceeded its revenue for several years and the district has been making budget cuts to avoid depleting its savings — known as a fund balance — needed to operate the district. The district is asking voters in November to adopt a tax proposition that would have limited to no impact on most homeowners to generate up to $5.5 million a year.
EPISD declared financial exigency in June and laid off nearly 200 employees to avoid depleting its fund balance after years of budget management issues were discovered late in the school year. The district is expected to ask voters in May to approve a bond proposal of up to $445.8 million to upgrade outdated air conditioners and improve campuses after the board voted not to put the bond on the November ballot.
SISD laid off dozens of employees in 2024 and is just starting to recover financially after operating on a budget deficit for several years. The board is expected to decide Monday on whether to call for a tax proposition in November
Rating breakdown
EPISD, the largest district in the region with about 46,200 students, raised its accountability score from 80 in 2025 to 82 this year.
Thirteen of its 71 campuses earned an A rating, and several others improved their ratings, including Tinajero PK-8, Murphree PK-8 and Guillen Middle. The first went from a C to a B, and the latter two went from an F to a B and no longer require additional state oversight due to their rating.
El Paso ISD Superintendent Brian Lusk attributed the success to teachers, principals and central office staff who joined classrooms to co-teach and offer support.
“It is a success story in spite of all the noise. We’ve asked our school teams to do is really just stay focused on kids,” Lusk said before the ratings were released publicly. “I had a lot of central office team members spend nearly the entire second semester in, from February on, helping directly teach kids.”
One campus, Logan Elementary School, saw its rating fall from a C (76) to an F (59) in one year. It is the only campus in the district to receive an F rating.
Socorro ISD, with about 45,900 students, raised its score by one point to an 87. Eighteen of its 51 campuses received an A rating, and none received D or F ratings.
Socorro ISD Chief Academic Officer Melissa Parham noted that increases in the district’s student achievement score, which measures whether students met expectations on standardized tests, graduation rates and how prepared students are for success after high school, boosted the district’s overall score.
“I think our academics, our instructional officers, our principals, our teachers, everybody knew we needed to step up a little bit and they did it,” Parham said.
Socorro ISD leaders also credit its advanced math initiative, which has students complete Algebra I in eighth grade rather than high school, and dual credit program that allows students to get a college associates degree along with their high school diploma.
Ysleta ISD, with 32,600 students, saw its overall score drop by one point to 88. Twenty-five of its 48 campuses received an A, including for the first time in the district’s history, all of its high schools.
The district has had some of the highest achievement ratings in the district, which De La Torre said is because it has small schools that can give students a more personalized education.
SISD’s B-rated Eastlake High School, the largest high school in the county, has over 3,000 students while Ysleta ISD’s largest high school, Eastwood High School, has over 2,200 students.
“We don’t have the high schools with 3,000 students that I think are much harder to manage, and more importantly, students tend to fall through the cracks. And I think this year’s results are a testament to how our small high schools, comprehensive high schools, are incredibly effective at helping students both academically, and if you’re familiar with College, Career and Military Readiness,” De La Torre said.
Capistrano Elementary School is the lowest-scoring and the only campus in YISD to get a D rating.
Clint ISD, which has 9,800 students, raised its score by two points to an 86. Four of its 14 campuses received an A rating, and no campuses received a D or F.
Canutillo ISD, which has 5,600 students, maintained a score of 78. Two of its 10 campuses, Northwest Early College and Congressman Silvestre and Carolina Reyes Elementary School, received an A rating. One campus, Gonzalo and Sofia Garcia Elementary School, received a D rating.
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