1995-2011: Based on school or district performs on The Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) and several other performance indexes, the school or district received one of four possible rankings: Exemplary (the highest possible ranking), Recognized, Academically Acceptable, and Academically Unacceptable (the lowest possible ranking).
2013-Present: Beginning in 2013, schools and districts receive one of three accountability ratings: Met Standard, Met Alternative Standard or Improvement Required, based on four indices, including student performance on the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) test. Schools and districts that receive "Met Standard" ratings are also eligible to receive one or more distinctions based on outstanding performance in specific areas of these indices.
No State accountability ratings were assigned in 2003 and 2012.