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CFBISD holds B rating as high schools remain strong, some campuses lose ground

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Carrollton-Farmers Branch Independent School District (CFBISD) maintained a B in the Texas Education Agency’s 2026 accountability ratings, continuing a two-year improvement from the C ratings the district received for 2023 and 2024.

CFBISD received an overall score of 81 for 2026, down one point from its 82 in 2025 but still three points above the 78 it received in both 2023 and 2024. Nearly 70% of district campuses received an A or B, according to CFBISD.

The results show a district that has largely held onto the gains it made last year, particularly at the high school level, while individual elementary and middle school campuses saw significant movement in both directions.

“Maintaining our B rating is a direct testament to the daily work happening in our classrooms,” Superintendent Dr. Wendy Eldredge said. “We are incredibly proud of these results and this rating reflects our collective commitment to academic excellence.”

One of the district’s biggest gains came at Creekview High School, which increased five points from an 88 to a 93, moving from a B to an A. It is the first CFBISD comprehensive high school to receive an A since the state introduced its A-F accountability system in the 2018-19 school year.

Early College High School also received an A with a score of 98, up from 96 last year. Ranchview High School remained at 87, while Mary Grimes Educational Center increased from 81 to 86. Newman Smith High School slipped one point from 85 to 84, and R.L. Turner High School dropped from 83 to 82. All remained B rated campuses.

The high school results represent a substantial improvement from two years ago. In the 2024 ratings, only Early College and Creekview received an A or B. Grimes, Ranchview, Smith and Turner were all rated C. Ranchview has climbed from a 71 in 2024 to an 87 in both 2025 and 2026, while Smith has increased from 72 to 84 and Turner from 72 to 82 during the same period.

Grimes has also continued its improvement after receiving a D in 2023, according to the district.

CFBISD reported that 97% of students graduated College, Career and Military Ready, or CCMR, and the district is projected to retain an A in that category for a second year.

“Our College, Career, and Military Readiness rate is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our students, teachers, counselors, campus leaders, families, and community partners,” Executive Director of Advanced Academics & Post-Secondary Readiness Chad Hunter said. “Achievements like this truly take a village.”

Elementary schools show mixed results

At the elementary level, some campuses made significant gains while others moved in the opposite direction.

Landry Elementary posted the district’s largest year-over-year increase, jumping seven points from a 77, or C, in 2025 to an 84, or B, this year. The improvement reverses a steep decline last year, when Landry had fallen from an 86 in 2024 to 77.

McWhorter Elementary increased five points, from 64 to 69. The increase was the district’s second-largest, although the campus remains below the 70-point threshold for a C. McWhorter received a 66 in 2024.

Carrollton Elementary increased from 88 to 90, moving from a B to an A, while Good Elementary rose from 87 to 90 and also earned an A. Blair, Kent, Las Colinas and Rainwater rounded out the district’s six A-rated elementary schools.

Farmers Branch Elementary received an 86, down one point from last year but up from an 83 in 2024.

Other campuses experienced larger declines.

Riverchase Elementary dropped from a 91, or A, in 2025 to a 79, or C, this year. Sheffield Elementary also fell from an 81, or B, to a 72, or C. Sheffield's scores have fluctuated considerably over the past three ratings, from a 60 in 2024 to 81 last year and 72 this year.

McKamy Elementary dropped from an 86 to 79 after making one of the district’s largest gains the previous year. McLaughlin Strickland Elementary declined from 84 to 72.

The year-to-year comparisons are also affected by CFBISD’s recent campus consolidations and attendance-zone changes. Four elementary campuses that appeared in the 2025 ratings, Central, Furneaux, McCoy and Country Place, were affected by the district's consolidation process. District officials said the 2026 results reflect continued progress despite four campus consolidations and rezoning.

“Our consistent high performance is attributed to focused instructional leadership development, effective use of standards-aligned curriculum resources, strategic data-informed actions and goal-focused approaches that support student achievement across the district,” Assistant Superintendent of Leadership and Learning Dr. Kim Holcomb said.

Middle schools remain an area to watch

The district’s middle school ratings were more mixed.

Vivian Field Middle School received an 86, down from 88 last year but still a B. Blalack Middle School received an 83, also a B, while Perry Middle School received an 84, down from a 90 and an A last year.

Barbara Bush Middle School fell from a 78 to 71, remaining a C.

Polk Middle School saw the district’s most significant decline among the middle schools, falling from a 66, or D, last year to a 56, or F, in 2026. Polk received a 75, or C, in 2024, meaning its score has declined 19 points over two rating cycles.

Long Middle School, which received a 69 in 2025, is not included among the district’s 2026 campus scores following the district’s consolidation and rezoning changes.

Despite the mixed campus ratings, CFBISD reported gains across all middle schools in seventh- and eighth-grade STAAR reading and language arts at the “approaches grade level or above” standard, increasing 2% and 3%, respectively.

Overall, the district’s recent accountability trend remains positive compared with 2023 and 2024. CFBISD received a 78, or C, in each of those years before climbing four points to an 82, or B, in 2025. This year’s 81 keeps the district in the B range.

The percentage of campuses earning an A or B, however, declined from 75% in 2025 to nearly 70% this year. In 2024, 56% of campuses received an A or B.

District officials said staff will continue analyzing the 2026 results to identify areas where instruction can be strengthened.

The full 2026 district and campus ratings, along with previous years’ results, are available through CFBISD’s accountability ratings page.

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