Public education in Texas

K-12 education in Texas

Education facts
State superintendent:
Mike Morath
Number of students:
5,156,972
Number of teachers:
344,362
Teacher/pupil ratio:
1:14.9
Number of school districts:
1,022
Number of schools:
8,161
Graduation rate:
90%
Per-pupil spending:
$10,342
See also
Texas Department of Education • List of school districts in Texas • Texas • School boards portal

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Public education in the United States
Public education in Texas
Glossary of education terms
Note: These statistics are mainly from government sources, including the U.S. Census Bureau and the National Center for Education Statistics. Figures given were the most recent as of October 2022.

## Contents

* 1 General information
* 2 Academic performance
* 2.1 NAEP scores
* 2.2 Graduation, ACT and SAT scores
* 2.3 Dropout rate
* 3 Educational choice options
* 3.1 Developments
* 3.1.1 Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue (2020)
* 4 Education funding and expenditures
* 4.1 Revenue breakdowns
* 4.2 Expenditure breakdowns
* 4.3 Personnel salaries
* 5 Organizations
* 5.1 State agencies
* 5.2 Unions
* 6 Government sector lobbying
* 7 Transparency
* 8 Studies and reports
* 8.1 Quality Counts 2014
* 8.2 State Budget Solutions education study
* 9 Issues
* 9.1 Home-rule effort in Dallas
* 10 School districts
* 10.1 District types
* 10.2 School board composition
* 10.2.1 Term limits
* 10.3 Elections
* 10.3.1 Path to the ballot
* 10.3.2 Campaign finance
* 11 Recent legislation
* 12 Education ballot measures
* 13 In the news
* 14 See also
* 15 External links
* 16 Additional reading
* 17 Footnotes

The Texas public school system (prekindergarten through grade 12) operates within districts governed by locally elected school boards and superintendents. In 2022, Texas had 5,156,972 students enrolled in a total of  8,161 schools in 1,022 school districts. There were 344,362 teachers in the public schools, or roughly one teacher for every 15 students, compared to the national average of 1:16. In 2020, Texas spent on average $10,342 per pupil.[1] The state's graduation rate was 90 percent in the 2018-2019 school year.[2]

## General information[edit]

See also: General comparison table for education statistics in the 50 states and Education spending per pupil in all 50 states

The following chart shows how Texas compares to the national level for the most recent years for which data is available.

Public education in Texas

State | Schools | Districts | Students | Teachers | Teacher to pupil ratio | Per pupil spending*
Texas | 8,161 | 1,022 | 5,156,972 | 344,362 | 1:14.9 | $10,342
United States | 90,323 | 13,194 | 47,755,383 | 2,783,705 | 1:16 | $13,494
*Per pupil spending data reflects information reported for fiscal year 2020.
Sources:

Education statistics in the United States
U.S. Census Bureau, "U.S. School System Current Spending Per Pupil by Region: Fiscal Year 2020"
National Center for Education Statistics, "Fast Facts: High school graduation rates"

## Academic performance[edit]

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The sections below do not contain the most recently published data on this subject. If you would like to help our coverage grow, consider donating to Ballotpedia.

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Education terms

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For more information on education policy terms, see this article.

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School board elections portal
Glossary of education terms
School choice on the ballot
Education on the ballot

### NAEP scores[edit]

See also: NAEP scores by state

The National Center for Education Statistics provides state-by-state data on student achievement levels in mathematics and reading in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). The table below presents the percentage of fourth and eighth grade students that scored at or above proficient in reading and math during school year 2012-2013. Compared to three neighboring states (Louisiana, New Mexico, and Oklahoma), students in Texas had the highest scores in nearly every category, falling behind only Oklahoma in fourth-grade reading.[3]

Percent of students scoring at or above proficient, 2012-2013

| Math - Grade 4 | Math - Grade 8 | Reading - Grade 4 | Reading - Grade 8
Texas | 41% | 38% | 28% | 31%
Louisiana | 26% | 21% | 23% | 24%
New Mexico | 31% | 23% | 21% | 22%
Oklahoma | 36% | 25% | 30% | 29%
U.S. averages | 41% | 34% | 34% | 34%
Source: United States Department of Education, ED Data Express, "State Tables"

### Graduation, ACT and SAT scores[edit]

See also: Graduation rates by groups in state and ACT and SAT scores in the United States

The following table shows the graduation rates and average composite ACT and SAT scores for Texas and surrounding states during the 2012-2013 school year. All statements made in this section refer to that school year.[3][4][5]

In the United States, public schools reported graduation rates that averaged to about 81.4 percent. About 54 percent of all students in the country took the ACT, while 50 percent reported taking the SAT. The average national composite scores for those tests were 20.9 out of a possible 36 for the ACT, and 1498 out of a possible 2400 for the SAT.[6]

Texas schools reported a graduation rate of 88 percent during the 2012-2013 school year, highest among its neighboring states

In Texas, more students took the SAT than the ACT in 2013, earning an average SAT score of 1437.

Comparison table for graduation rates and test scores, 2012-2013

State  | Graduation rate, 2013  | Average ACT composite, 2013  | Average SAT composite, 2013
Percent  | Quintile ranking**  | Score  | Participation rate  | Score  | Participation rate
Texas | 88% | First | 20.9 | 37% | 1437 | 59%
Louisiana | 73.5% | Fifth | 19.5 | 100% | 1655 | 5%
New Mexico | 70.3% | Fifth | 19.9 | 70% | 1626 | 12%
Oklahoma | 84.8% | Second | 20.8 | 75% | 1689 | 5%
United States | 81.4% | 20.9 | 54% | 1498 | 50%
**Graduation rates for states in the first quintile ranked in the top 20 percent nationally. Similarly, graduation rates for states in the fifth quintile ranked in the bottom 20 percent nationally.
Sources: United States Department of Education, "ED Data Express"
ACT.org, "2013 ACT National and State Scores"
The Commonwealth Foundation, "SAT scores by state, 2013"

### Dropout rate[edit]

See also: Public high school dropout rates by state for a full comparison of dropout rates by group in all states

The high school event dropout rate indicates the proportion of students who were enrolled at some time during the school year and were expected to be enrolled in grades nine through 12 in the following school year but were not enrolled by October 1 of the following school year. Students who have graduated, transferred to another school, died, moved to another country, or who are out of school due to illness are not considered dropouts. The average public high school event dropout rate for the United States remained constant at 3.3 percent for both school year 2010–2011 and school year 2011–2012. The event dropout rate for Texas was lower than the national average at 2.4 percent in the 2010-2011 school year, and 2.5 percent in the 2011-2012 school year.[7]

## Educational choice options[edit]

See also: School choice in Texas

As of June 2015, school choice options in Texas included charter schools, inter-district and intra-district open enrollment policies and online learning programs. In addition, about 5.14 percent of school-age children in the state attended private schools in the 2011-2012 academic year, and an estimated 2.67 percent were homeschooled in 2012-2013.

### Developments[edit]

#### Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue (2020)[edit]

Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue

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Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue
Media coverage and commentary
U.S. Supreme Court 2019-2020 term

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Blaine Amendment (U.S. Constitution)
Blaine amendments in state constitutions

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School choice on the ballot
Education on the ballot

See also: Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue

On June 30, 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court decided Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue, which concerned whether the government can exclude religious institutions from student-aid programs. The case related to Article X, Section 6 of the Montana Constitution, also known as Montana’s Blaine Amendment.[8]

In its 5-4 opinion, the court held that the application of Article X, Section 6 violated the free exercise clause of the U.S. Constitution. The majority held Article X, Section 6 barred religious schools and parents who wished to send their children to those schools from receiving public benefits because of the religious character of the school.[9]

The case addressed the tension between the free exercise and Establishment clauses of the U.S. Constitution--where one guarantees the right of individuals' free exercise of religion and the other guarantees that the state won't establish a religion--and the intersections of state constitutions with state law and with the U.S. Constitution.

Texas is one of the states with a Blaine Amendment.

## Education funding and expenditures[edit]

See also: Texas state budget and finances

Breakdown of expenditures by function in fiscal year 2013
Source: National Association of State Budget Officers

According to the National Association of State Budget Officers (NASBO), states spent an average of 19.8 percent of their total budgets on elementary and secondary education during fiscal year 2013. In addition, the United States Census Bureau found that approximately 45.6 percent of the country's school system revenue came from state sources, while about 45.3 percent came from local sources. The remaining portion of school system revenue came from federal sources.[10][11]

Texas spent approximately 27.4 percent of its budget on elementary and secondary education during fiscal year 2013. School system revenue came primarily from local funds. Texas spent a greater percentage of its total budget on public education than any of its neighboring states.

Comparison of financial figures for school systems, fiscal year 2013

State | Percentage of budget | Per pupil spending | Revenue sources
Percent federal funds | Percent state funds | Percent local funds
Texas | 27.4% | $8,299 | 11.4% | 38.5% | 50%
Louisiana | 19.3% | $10,490 | 15.2% | 41.7% | 43.1%
New Mexico | 19.5% | $9,012 | 14.8% | 68.3% | 17%
Oklahoma | 16.2% | $7,672 | 12.2% | 49.2% | 38.6%
United States | 19.8% | $10,700 | 9.1% | 45.6% | 45.3%
Sources: NASBO, "State Expenditure Report" (Table 8).
U.S. Census Bureau, "Public Education Finances: 2013, Economic Reimbursable Surveys Division Reports" (Table 5 and Table 8).

### Revenue breakdowns[edit]

See also: Public school system revenues in the U.S. to compare all states.

According to the United States Census Bureau, public school system revenues totaled approximately $598 billion in fiscal year 2013.[11]

In Texas, the primary source of school system revenue was local funding during fiscal year 2013, at about $25 billion. Texas reported significantly higher total public education revenue than any of its neighboring states.

Revenues by source, fiscal year 2013 (amounts in thousands)

State | Federal revenue | State revenue | Local revenue | Total revenue
Texas | $5,695,947 | $19,237,871 | $24,974,745 | $49,908,563
Louisiana | $1,229,248 | $3,370,399 | $3,484,625 | $8,084,272
New Mexico | $519,318 | $2,401,884 | $597,419 | $3,518,621
Oklahoma | $715,944 | $2,890,048 | $2,270,083 | $5,876,075
U.S. totals | $54,367,305 | $272,916,892 | $270,645,402 | $597,929,599
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "Public Education Finances: 2013, Economic Reimbursable Surveys Division Reports" (Table 1)

### Expenditure breakdowns[edit]

See also: Public school system expenditures in the United States

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, public school system expenditures totaled approximately $602 billion in fiscal year 2012.[12]

Public education expenditures in Texas totaled approximately $50 billion in fiscal year 2012. Texas reported significantly higher total public education expenditures than any of its neighboring states.

Expenditures by type, fiscal year 2012 (amounts in thousands)

State | General expenditures | Capital outlay | Other | Total expenditures
Texas | $41,067,619 | $5,536,571 | $3,387,145 | $49,991,336
Louisiana | $7,544,782 | $744,610 | $168,301 | $8,457,692
New Mexico | $3,039,423 | $516,030 | $4,253 | $3,559,706
Oklahoma | $5,170,978 | $496,206 | $81,793 | $5,748,976
United States | $527,096,473 | $48,773,386 | $25,897,123 | $601,766,981
Source: National Center for Education Statistics, "Revenues and Expenditures for Public Elementary and Secondary Education: School Year 2011–12 (Fiscal Year 2012)" (Table 5)

### Personnel salaries[edit]

See also: Public school teacher salaries in the United States

Note: Salaries given are averages for the state. Salaries may vary between a state's urban, suburban, and rural districts and should be adjusted for cost of living. For example, a MacIver Institute study of average teacher salaries in 60 metropolitan areas found that salaries in New York City were the third-highest in absolute figures but 59th-highest when adjusted for the cost of living.[13]

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the average national salary for classroom teachers in public elementary and secondary schools declined by 1.3 percent from the 1999-2000 school year to the 2012-2013 school year. During the same period in Texas, the average salary decreased by 6.3 percent.[14]

Estimated average salaries for teachers (in constant dollars**)

| 1999-2000 | 2009-2010 | 2011-2012 | 2012-2013 | Percent difference
Texas | $51,339 | $51,516 | $49,178 | $48,110 | -6.3%
Louisiana | $45,246 | $52,201 | $51,014 | $51,381 | 13.6%
New Mexico | $44,488 | $49,378 | $46,381 | $46,573 | 4.7%
Oklahoma | $42,772 | $50,907 | $45,130 | $44,128 | 3.2%
United States | $57,133 | $58,925 | $56,340 | $56,383 | -1.3%
**"Constant dollars based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI), prepared by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, adjusted to a school-year basis. The CPI does not account for differences in inflation rates from state to state."

## Organizations[edit]

### State agencies[edit]

See also: Texas Education Agency

The mission statement of the Texas Education Agency reads:[15]

“  | The mission of the Texas Education Agency (TEA) is to provide leadership, guidance, and resources to help schools meet the educational needs of all students and prepare them for success in the global economy.[16] | ”

|
|

The Texas Education Agency is led by the Commissioner of Education. The Commissioner of Education is appointed by the governor with the consent of the senate.

The Texas State Board of Education is responsible for overseeing the state's public education system. The board is composed of 15 members elected from districts. Members serve four-year terms.[17]

### Unions[edit]

In 2012 the Fordham Institute and Education Reform Now assessed the power and influence of state teacher unions in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Their rankings were based on 37 different variables in five broad areas: resources and membership, involvement in politics, scope of bargaining, state policies and perceived influence. Texas ranked 44th overall for union power and influence, or "weakest," which was in the fifth of five tiers.[18]

## Government sector lobbying[edit]

See also: Texas government sector lobbying

Taxpayer-funded lobbyists for the state public schools include

* Texas School Alliance
* Texas Association of Community Schools

School official lobbyists include the Texas Association of School Business Officials and Texas Association of Secondary School Principals.

Lobbies concerned with school administrators and school boards include the Texas Association of School Boards and Texas Association of School Administrators.

## Transparency[edit]

The state's official spending transparency database, which includes information pertaining to public schools, can be accessed here.[19]

## Studies and reports[edit]

### Quality Counts 2014[edit]

See also: Education Week survey

Education Week, a publication that reports on many education issues throughout the country, began using an evaluation system in 1997 to grade each state on various elements of education performance. This system, called Quality Counts, uses official data on performance from each state to generate report cards for all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The report card in 2014 uses six different categories:

1. Chance for success
2. K-12 achievement
3. Standards, assessments and accountability
4. The teaching profession
5. School finance
6. Transitions and alignment

Each of these six categories had a number of other elements that received individual scores. Those scores were then averaged and used to determine the final score in each category. Every state received two types of scores for each of the six major categories: A numerical score out of 100 and a letter grade based on that score. Education Week used the score for the first category, "chance for success," as the value for ranking each state and the District of Columbia. The average grade received in the entire country was 77.3, or a C+ average. The country's highest average score was in the category of "standards, assessments and accountability" at 85.3, or a B average. The lowest average score was in "K-12 achievement", at 70.2, or a C- average.

Texas received a score of 73.0, or a C average in the "chance for success" category. This was below the national average. The state's highest score was in "transitions and alignment" at 92.9, or an A average. The lowest score was in "school finance" at 67.3, or a D+ average. Texas had the ninth lowest score in the "school finance" category in the country. The chart below displays the scores of Texas and its surrounding states.[20]

Note: Click on a column heading to sort the data.

Public education report cards, 2014

State | Chance for success | K-12 achievement | Standards, assessments and accountability | The teaching profession | School finance | Transitions and alignment
Texas | 73.0 (C) | 70.2 (C-) | 92.2 (A-) | 78.3 (C+) | 67.3 (D+) | 92.9 (A)
Louisiana | 69.9 (C-) | 59.8 (D-) | 97.2 (A) | 79.6 (B-) | 74.9 (C) | 92.9 (A)
New Mexico | 66.6 (D+) | 60.3 (D-) | 92.0 (A-) | 74.3 (C) | 70.5 (C-) | 89.3 (B+)
Oklahoma | 72.2 (C-) | 64.2 (D) | 93.3 (A) | 71.6 (C-) | 66.5 (D) | 89.3 (B+)
United States | 77.3 (C+) | 70.2 (C-) | 85.3 (B) | 72.5 (C) | 75.5 (C) | 81.1 (B-)
Source: Education Week, "Quality Counts 2014"

A full discussion of how these numbers were generated can be found here.

### State Budget Solutions education study[edit]

See also: State spending on education v. academic performance (2012)

State Budget Solutions examined national trends in education from 2009 to 2011, including state-by-state analysis of education spending, graduation rates and average ACT scores. The study showed that the states that spent the most did not have the highest average ACT test scores, nor did they have the highest average graduation rates. A summary of the study is available here. The full report can be accessed here.

## Issues[edit]

### Home-rule effort in Dallas[edit]

Volunteers with a local group called Support Our Public Schools circulated petitions starting on March 4, 2014, to turn the Dallas Independent School District into a home-rule district. A state law passed in 1995 allows local residents to replace their existing district structure with a home-rule charter. This charter could bypass some state regulations including minimum salary schedules for teachers, curriculum standards and the number of days in a school year. On January 20, 2015, a commission voted 10-5 against granting Dallas a home-rule charter.[21] Commission members had until June 2015 to develop a home-rule charter for the district. If approved by the Texas Commissioner of Education, voters would have approved or rejected the charter at the polls. State law requires a simple majority and at least 25 percent of registered voters to cast ballots in the charter election.[22]

Support Our Public Schools was a group funded by former hedge fund manager John Arnold and several anonymous donors through his nonprofit organization, the Action Now Initiative. Arnold worked with local officials, including board member Mike Morath, to form the group due to concerns about the district's record of academic performance. Morath supported Support Our Public Schools but did not serve on the group's board.[23] The organization hoped to complete the entire process in time for the gubernatorial election on November 4, 2014. If successful, Dallas Independent School District would have been the first school district in Texas to use the home-rule charter process.[22]

Support Our Public Schools submitted more than 48,000 petition signatures to the school district in May 2014. District officials certified that enough valid signatures were submitted to proceed to the next step in the process.[24][8] The group had to gather at least 24,459 valid signatures, or five percent of registered voters in the district, to force the creation of a charter commission by the school board. School board members appointed 15 members to the charter commission during a meeting on June 19, 2014.[25]

Two members of the commission were selected by the entire board, four educators were selected by an advisory panel and each trustee selected one commission member. D. Marcus Ranger, the husband of former trustee Carla Ranger, and Lew Blackburn, Jr., the son of trustee Lew Blackburn Sr., were appointed to the commission. The state's home-rule charter law does not restrict spouses or relatives of current board members from serving on commissions. An article published following the failure of the home-rule effort noted that eight of the nine Dallas board members opposed the initiative, which Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings suggested resulted in anti-initiative appointees. Commission chairman Bob Weiss rejected this argument and stated, "I certainly respect the mayor’s point of view but will politely disagree with the inference that the process was doomed because the commission did not act in good faith. This commission was not responsible for the appointment process."[21]

The following table details the charter commission, including how they were appointed:[25]

Charter commission[25]

Member  | Appointed by
Bob Weiss | Entire board
Stephanie Elizalde | Entire board
Melissa Malonson | District 1 trustee Elizabeth Jones
Edwin Flores | District 2 trustee Mike Morath
Jeff Veazey | District 3 trustee Dan Micciche
Ricardo Mendez | District 4 trustee Nancy Bingham
Lew Blackburn, Jr. | District 5 trustee Lew Blackburn Sr.
D. Marcus Ranger | District 6 trustee Carla Ranger
Jerome Garza | District 7 trustee Eric Cowan
Danae Gutierrez | District 8 trustee Miguel Solis
Shirley Ison-Newsome | District 9 trustee Bernadette Nutall
Isaac Freeman | Advisory panel
Ron Oliver | Advisory panel
Bonita Reece | Advisory panel
Julie Sandel | Advisory panel

Local officials and advocates debated the group's efforts during the petition drive. Mayor Rawlings supported the effort in order to bring change to the district while board members Lew Blackburn and Bernadette Nutall questioned the motivations of Support Our Public Schools. Superintendent Mike Miles neither endorsed nor rejected the movement but argued the home-rule effort was unnecessary since the district had already initiated reforms.[26] Alliance-AFT president Rena Honea argued that this effort was "part of a plan to underfund our schools, declare them a failure, and contract out to private operators the control of our neighborhood schools, disenfranchising parents and community stakeholders and de-professionalizing teaching."[22][27]

Mark Melton, a local attorney and charter supporter, published a seven-page constitution in May 2014 intended to guide the charter commission. This constitution developed by Melton and four colleagues would have left the district largely unchanged. The document proposed a three-term limit on all board members, a provision for recalling board members and an earlier start date for district schools. Melton's proposal would have allowed a recall election to take place if 15 percent of residents in a trustee district signed petitions. He offered the proposals as a reaction to the rancorous debate taking place between Support Our Public Schools volunteers and some district residents.[8]

## School districts[edit]

See also: School board elections portal

### District types[edit]

Texas contains multiple types of school districts. Independent school districts administer K-12 schools separately from municipal and county governments. Consolidated school districts are typically formed when two or more school districts combine into a single governing body.[28]

### School board composition[edit]

Texas school board members are generally elected by residents of the school district, although some school board members are appointed to fill vacancies until the next election for the seat is held. Texas school board elections typically follow one of these three methods, or a mixture thereof:[29]

* At-large: All voters residing in the school district may vote for any candidates running, regardless of geographic location.
* Trustee area: Only voters residing in a specific geographic area within the school district may vote on certain candidates, who must also reside in that specific geographic area.
* Trustee area at-large: All voters residing in the school district may vote for any candidates running, but candidates must reside in specific geographic areas within the school district.

School boards can consists of five, seven or nine members. Board members serve terms of three or four years.[29]

#### Term limits[edit]

Texas does not impose statewide term limits on school board members. However, terms limits on school board members can still be imposed on the local level.[29]

### Elections[edit]

See also: Texas school board elections, 2025

The table below contains links to all school board elections covered by Ballotpedia in 2025 in this state. This list may not include all school districts that held elections in 2025. Ballotpedia's coverage included all school districts in the 100 largest cities by population and the 200 largest school districts by student enrollment.

Editor's note: Some school districts choose to cancel the primary election, or both the primary and general election, if the number of candidates who filed does not meet a certain threshold. The table below does not reflect which primary or general elections were canceled. Please click through to each school district's page for more information.

2025 Texas School Board Elections

District  | Primary | General Election | General Runoff Election | Regular term length | Seats up for election | Total board seats | 2022-2023 enrollment
Alamo Heights Independent School District | N/A | 5/3/2025 | N/A | 3 | 3 | 7 | 4,762
Aldine Independent School District | N/A | 11/4/2025 | N/A | 4 | 3 | 7 | 60,074
Alief Independent School District | N/A | 11/4/2025 | N/A | 4 | 4 | 7 | 40,329
Allen Independent School District | N/A | 5/3/2025 | N/A | 3 | 2 | 7 | 21,769
Amarillo Independent School District | N/A | 5/3/2025 | N/A | 4 | 4 | 7 | 30,342
Arlington Independent School District | N/A | 5/3/2025 | N/A | 3 | 2 | 7 | 56,167
Burleson Independent School District | N/A | 5/3/2025 | N/A | 3 | 2 | 7 | 12,865
Carrollton-Farmers Branch Independent School District | N/A | 5/3/2025 | N/A | 3 | 3 | 7 | 24,747
Castleberry Independent School District | N/A | 5/3/2025 | N/A | 3 | 3 | 7 | 3,710
Clear Creek Independent School District | N/A | 5/3/2025 | N/A | 3 | 2 | 7 | 40,693
Coppell Independent School District | N/A | 5/3/2025 | N/A | 3 | 3 | 7 | 13,361
Crowley Independent School District | N/A | 5/3/2025 | N/A | 3 | 3 | 7 | 16,729
Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District | N/A | 11/4/2025 | N/A | 4 | 3 | 7 | 118,010
Dallas Independent School District | N/A | 5/3/2025 | N/A | 3 | 3 | 9 | 141,169
Duncanville Independent School District | N/A | 5/3/2025 | N/A | 3 | 3 | 7 | 11,915
Eagle Mountain-Saginaw Independent School District | N/A | 5/3/2025 | N/A | 3 | 3 | 7 | 23,196
Eanes Independent School District | N/A | 5/3/2025 | N/A | 3 | 2 | 7 | 7,733
Ector County Independent School District | N/A | 5/3/2025 | N/A | 4 | 4 | 7 | 33,340
El Paso Independent School District | N/A | 5/3/2025 | N/A | 4 | 4 | 7 | 50,031
Everman Independent School District | N/A | 5/3/2025 | N/A | 3 | 2 | 7 | 5,354
Forney Independent School District | N/A | 5/3/2025 | N/A | 3 | 3 | 7 | 16,211
Fort Bend Independent School District | N/A | 5/3/2025 | N/A | 3 | 2 | 7 | 79,660
Fort Worth Independent School District | N/A | 5/3/2025 | N/A | 4 | 5 | 9 | 72,783
Frenship Independent School District | N/A | 5/3/2025 | N/A | 3 | 2 | 7 | 11,165
Frisco Independent School District | N/A | 5/3/2025 | N/A | 3 | 3 | 7 | 66,916
Galena Park Independent School District | N/A | 5/3/2025 | N/A | 3 | 2 | 7 | 21,392
Garland Independent School District | N/A | 5/3/2025 | N/A | 3 | 3 | 7 | 52,767
Grand Prairie Independent School District | N/A | 5/3/2025 | N/A | 3 | 2 | 7 | 27,019
Harlandale Independent School District | N/A | 5/3/2025 | N/A | 4 | 4 | 7 | 12,174
Hays Consolidated Independent School District | N/A | 5/3/2025 | N/A | 3 | 2 | 7 | 22,297
Highland Park Independent School District (Dallas) | N/A | 5/3/2025 | N/A | 3 | 3 | 7 | 6,551
Houston Independent School District | N/A | 11/4/2025 | N/A | 4 | 5 | 9 | 189,934
Humble Independent School District | N/A | 5/3/2025 | N/A | 4 | 4 | 7 | 48,758
Hurst-Euless-Bedford Independent School District | N/A | 5/3/2025 | N/A | 4 | 4 | 7 | 22,947
Irving Independent School District | N/A | 5/3/2025 | N/A | 3 | 3 | 7 | 31,767
Judson Independent School District | N/A | 5/3/2025 | N/A | 4 | 4 | 7 | 25,871
Katy Independent School District | N/A | 5/3/2025 | N/A | 3 | 2 | 7 | 92,667
Keller Independent School District | N/A | 5/3/2025 | N/A | 3 | 3 | 7 | 34,078
Kennedale Independent School District | N/A | 5/3/2025 | N/A | 3 | 2 | 7 | 2,855
Killeen Independent School District | N/A | 5/3/2025 | N/A | 3 | 3 | 7 | 43,935
Klein Independent School District | N/A | 11/4/2025 | N/A | 3 | 3 | 7 | 53,712
Lake Worth Independent School District | N/A | 11/4/2025 | N/A | 3 | 3 | 7 | 3,447
Lamar Consolidated Independent School District | N/A | 5/3/2025 | N/A | 4 | 4 | 7 | 42,461
Lancaster Independent School District | N/A | 5/3/2025 | N/A | 3 | 2 | 7 | 7,032
Lewisville Independent School District | N/A | 5/3/2025 | N/A | 3 | 3 | 7 | 49,060
Lewisville Independent School District | N/A | 11/4/2025 (special) | N/A | 3 | 1 | 7 | 49,060
Mansfield Independent School District | N/A | 5/3/2025 | N/A | 3 | 3 | 7 | 35,722
Mesquite Independent School District | N/A | 5/3/2025 | N/A | 3 | 2 | 7 | 38,356
New Deal Independent School District | N/A | 5/3/2025 | N/A | 3 | 3 | 7 | 757
Northside Independent School District (Bexar County) | N/A | 5/3/2025 | N/A | 4 | 4 | 7 | 102,719
Northwest Independent School District | N/A | 5/3/2025 | N/A | 3 | 2 | 7 | 29,248
Pasadena Independent School District | N/A | 5/3/2025 | N/A | 4 | 4 | 7 | 48,726
Pflugerville Independent School District | N/A | 5/3/2025 | N/A | 3 | 3 | 7 | 25,445
Plano Independent School District | N/A | 5/3/2025 | N/A | 4 | 4 | 7 | 48,921
Port Aransas Independent School District | N/A | 5/3/2025 | N/A | 3 | 3 | 7 | 546
Richardson Independent School District | N/A | 5/3/2025 | 6/7/2025 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 37,260
Rockport-Fulton Independent School District | N/A | 5/3/2025 | N/A | 3 | 3 | 7 | 3,044
Rockwall Independent School District | N/A | 5/3/2025 | N/A | 3 | 2 | 7 | 18,384
Roosevelt Independent School District | N/A | 5/3/2025 | N/A | 3 | 2 | 7 | 1,175
San Antonio Independent School District | N/A | 5/3/2025 | N/A | 4 | 4 | 7 | 45,255
Socorro Independent School District | N/A | 5/3/2025 | N/A | 4 | 4 | 7 | 47,843
Southside Independent School District | N/A | 5/3/2025 | N/A | 4 | 3 | 7 | 5,965
Southwest Independent School District | N/A | 5/3/2025 | N/A | 3 | 2 | 7 | 13,747
Spring Branch Independent School District | N/A | 5/3/2025 | N/A | 3 | 3 | 7 | 33,649
Spring Independent School District | N/A | 11/4/2025 | N/A | 3 | 3 | 7 | 34,114
Ysleta Independent School District | N/A | 5/3/2025 | N/A | 4 | 4 | 7 | 36,183

#### Path to the ballot[edit]

To qualify for the ballot as a school board candidate in Texas, a person must be:[30]

* 18 years of age or older
* A registered voter
* A resident of the district for at least six months prior to the election

Candidates file applications for placement on the ballot with the school district clerk.

#### Campaign finance[edit]

Candidates can claim exemption from campaign finance reporting requirements if they do not anticipate spending or receiving $500 during the election. If they receive or spend in excess of $500, they must file amended paperwork with the school district clerk detailing contributions and expenditures.[30]

## Recent legislation[edit]

The following is a list of recent education bills that have been introduced in or passed by the Texas state legislature. To learn more about each of these bills, click the bill title. This information is provided by BillTrack50 and LegiScan.

Note: Due to the nature of the sorting process used to generate this list, some results may not be relevant to the topic. If no bills are displayed below, no legislation pertaining to this topic has been introduced in the legislature recently.

## Education ballot measures[edit]

See also: Education on the ballot and List of Texas ballot measures

Ballotpedia has tracked the following statewide ballot measures relating to education.

1. Texas Proposition 1, Angelo State University Governance Amendment (2007)
2. Texas Proposition 2, Educational Loan Bonds Amendment (August 1991)
3. Texas Proposition 13, Bonds for Educational Loans Amendment (1999)
4. Texas Proposition 1, Bonds for Educational Loans Amendment (1995)
5. Texas Proposition 4, National Research University Fund Amendment (2009)
6. Texas Education Loans Finance Amendment, Proposition 3 (2011)
7. Texas Proposition 6, Permanent School Fund Amendment (2011)
8. Texas Proposition 13, Donation of School District Property Amendment (2001)
9. Texas Proposition 2, Higher Education Assistance Fund Amendment (1984)
10. Texas Proposition 2, Tax Exemptions for Higher Education Amendment (1906)
11. Texas Proposition 1, School District Bonds Amendment (August 1909)
12. Texas Proposition 2, School District Boundaries Amendment (August 1909)
13. Texas Proposition 4, County Student Loan Fund Amendment (July 1915)
14. Texas Proposition 6, Separation of University of Texas and Agricultural College Amendment (July 1915)
15. Texas Proposition 2, Property Tax for Schools Amendment (1918)
16. Texas Proposition 2, Special School Districts Amendment (1926)
17. Texas Proposition 1, Appointment of the State Board of Education Amendment (1928)
18. Texas Proposition 2, School Officer Term Limits Amendment (1928)
19. Texas Proposition 4, Free Textbooks Amendment (August 1935)
20. Texas Proposition 2, Salaries for Military Officers Amendment (1942)
21. Texas Proposition 2, State Medical Education Fund Amendment (1952)
22. Texas Proposition 6, Student Loans and the Texas Opportunity Plan Fund Amendment (1965)
23. Texas Proposition 3, Arlington State College Amendment (1966)
24. Texas Student Loans Funding Amendment (August 1969)
25. Texas Proposition 4, Education Constitutional Provisions Amendment (1975)
26. Texas Proposition 21, College Savings Bonds Amendment (1989)
27. Texas Proposition 13, Bonds for Educational Loans Amendment (1991)
28. Texas Proposition 2, Bonds for Educational Loans Amendment (2007)
29. Texas Homestead Exemption for School District Property Taxes Amendment, Proposition 1 (2015)
30. Texas Proposition 5, Rename State University Research Fund and Establish Ongoing Revenue Source Amendment (2023)
31. Texas Proposition 2, Investment of the Permanent University Fund Amendment (1930)
32. Texas Proposition 8, Investment of University Funds Amendment (1932)
33. Texas Proposition 3, Building Construction at John Tarleton Agricultural College Amendment (1942)
34. Texas Proposition 1, Building Construction for John Tarleton Agricultural College Amendment (1946)
35. Texas Proposition 13, Independent School District Taxes and Bonds Amendment (1962)
36. Texas Proposition 14, County Permanent School Fund Amendment (1972)
37. Texas Proposition 1, Permanent School Fund Transfer Amendment (1964)
38. Texas Proposition 1, Improvements for Institutions of Higher Education Amendment (1965)
39. Texas Proposition 4, Land for Permanent School Fund Amendment (1985)
40. Texas Proposition 1, Board of Regents Terms of Office Amendment (1912)
41. Texas Proposition 12, State Employees as Consultants, Advisors, or Members of School Boards Amendment (1962)
42. Texas Proposition 5, Transferring Monies from the Permanent School Fund Amendment (August 1891)

## In the news[edit]

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Texas education policy. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

Public education in Texas - Google News

## See also[edit]

* Historical public education information in Texas
* Texas state budget and finances
* Texas Department of Education
* List of school districts in Texas
* School choice in Texas
* Charter schools in Texas
* Texas
* Education Policy in the U.S.

## External links[edit]

* Texas Education Agency
* Texas State Board of Education

## Additional reading[edit]

* Longview News-Journal, "School districts mull faculty salary scales," June 30, 2009
* The Dallas Morning News, "ACLU questions religious freedom violations in more Texas schools," June 26, 2009

## Footnotes[edit]

1. ↑ United States Census Bureau, "U.S. School System Current Spending Per Pupil by Region: Fiscal Year 2020," May 18, 2022
2. ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Fast Facts: High school graduation rates," accessed September 28, 2022
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 United States Department of Education, ED Data Express, "State Tables," accessed May 13, 2014
4. ↑ ACT, "2012 ACT National and State Scores," accessed May 13, 2014
5. ↑ Commonwealth Foundation, "SAT Scores by State 2013," October 10, 2013
6. ↑ StudyPoints, "What's a good SAT score or ACT score?" accessed June 7, 2015
7. ↑ United States Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, "Common Core of Data (CCD), State Dropout and Graduation Rate Data File, School Year 2010-11, Provision Version 1a and School Year 2011-12, Preliminary Version 1a," accessed May 13, 2014
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Supreme Court of the United States, Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue: "Petition for a writ of certiorari," accessed July 3, 2019 Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; name "petition" defined multiple times with different content
9. ↑ Supreme Court of the United States, Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue, decided June 30, 2020
10. ↑ NASBO, "State Expenditure Report," accessed July 2, 2015
11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 U.S. Census Bureau, "Public Education Finances: 2013, Economic Reimbursable Surveys Division Reports," accessed July 2, 2015
12. ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "Revenues and Expenditures for Public Elementary and Secondary Education: School Year 2011–12 (Fiscal Year 2012)," accessed July 2, 2015
13. ↑ Maciver Institute, "REPORT: How much are teachers really paid?" accessed October 29, 2014
14. ↑ United States Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, "Table 211.60. Estimated average annual salary of teachers in public elementary and secondary schools, by state: Selected years, 1969-70 through 2012-13," accessed May 13, 2014
15. ↑ Texas Education Agency, "TEA Mission and Responsibilities," accessed June 5, 2014
16. ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
17. ↑ Texas Education Agency, "SBOE History and Duties," accessed June 5, 2014
18. ↑ Thomas E Fordham Institute, " How Strong Are U.S. Teacher Unions? A State-By-State Comparison," October 29, 2012
19. ↑ Texas Transparency, "Home page," accessed June 5, 2014
20. ↑ Education Week "Quality Counts 2014," accessed February 19, 2015
21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 The Dallas Morning News, "Dallas ISD home-rule commission votes against writing charter," January 21, 2015
22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 Dallas Morning News, "Group pushes for election to remake Dallas ISD as freer home-rule district," March 2, 2014
23. ↑ Dallas Morning News, "Dallas ISD trustee Mike Morath explains his role in home-rule group," March 10, 2014
24. ↑ Dallas Morning News, "Dallas ISD trustees struggle with how to form home-rule commission," May 30, 2014
25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 25.2 Dallas Morning News, "Dallas ISD trustees name 15-member commission to write home-rule charter," June 20, 2014
26. ↑ Dallas Morning News, "Superintendent Mike Miles: Home rule not key to a better Dallas ISD," March 19, 2014
27. ↑ "Dallas Observer," "Dallas ISD Trustees Are Skeptical of Shadowy Home-Rule District Push," March 4, 2014
28. ↑ Texas Education Code, "Texas Education Code - Chapter 13 Creation, Consolidation, And Abolition Of A District," accessed July 10, 2014
29. ↑ 29.0 29.1 29.2 Texas Association of School Boards, "Resources for Board Candidates," accessed July 10, 2014
30. ↑ 30.0 30.1 Texas Association of School Boards, "Policy: Eligibility/Qualifications," October 19, 2011

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