La Joya ISD's Academic Momentum Earns a B Rating in the Texas Education Agency's 2026 Accountability Ratings
LA JOYA, Texas – La Joya Independent School District is celebrating significant academic progress after earning a B rating under the Texas accountability system, reflecting continued improvement in student achievement and growth across the district. The results highlight the impact of focused instruction, strong campus leadership, and the collective commitment of students, teachers, staff, and families.
This year's accountability results show meaningful gains throughout the district:
20 of 34 campuses improved their overall accountability score compared to last year.
15 campuses improved their letter grade, a remarkable increase from just one campus that improved the previous year.
La Joya ISD outperformed statewide growth in 13 of 20 grade-subject areas, demonstrating that students are making academic gains at a faster pace than many districts across Texas.
16 of 20 STAAR and End-of-Course (EOC) subject areas showed year-over-year improvement.
Strongest gains in Biology, Algebra I, English, and U.S. History.
ACE campuses made extraordinary gains: Juan N. Seguin Elementary improved from an F to a B, while Evangelina Garza Elementary advanced from an F to a C.
These results have translated into stronger campus performance across the district. La Joya ISD increased the number of A-rated campuses from three to five and B-rated campuses from 11 to 13, while reducing the number of D and F campuses from 11 to just six. As a result, 82% of district campuses are now rated A, B, or C, up from 69% the previous year.
The district also continues making progress toward its North Star Goal of ensuring that 90% of students attend an A- or B-rated campus by 2029. Through intentional efforts to strengthen academic outcomes—including the implementation of the Board-approved School Actions plan, which closed one F-rated campus and two D-rated campuses to provide students with greater access to higher-performing schools—the percentage of students attending A- and B-rated campuses has increased from 47% to 63%.
"La Joya ISD's accountability results tell an encouraging story," said Dr. Derek Little, Deputy Superintendent. "These gains represent the hard work happening every day in our classrooms. Our teachers, principals, support staff, students, and families have remained focused on student learning, and that commitment is producing measurable results. While we celebrate this progress, we know our work continues. We are committed to building on this momentum so every student has access to an exceptional education."
District leaders also noted that accountability data continued to change throughout the summer as the Texas Education Agency released additional files and corrections. Throughout that process, La Joya ISD's projections remained consistent, and all 29 elementary and middle school campus projections matched the state's final calculations. The district is submitting an appeal regarding its high school and district ratings based on corrected College, Career, and Military Readiness (CCMR) records that the District believes were not fully reflected in the release.
The district believes the appeal could increase its overall accountability score from 80 to 81, improve the accountability ratings for all three comprehensive high schools, and raise the resulting letter grade at Juarez-Lincoln High School. The appeal is currently underway, with final decisions expected from the Texas Education Agency by December 11.
La Joya ISD remains committed to providing every student with the opportunities and support needed to succeed academically while continuing its journey toward its vision that Educational Excellence is the Right of Every Student.