Abilene ISD is proud to share exciting news with our parents, staff, students, and community: our district is on the rise.
According to soon-to-be-released A-F accountability ratings from the Texas Education Agency, many AISD schools made significant academic performance gains in 2024-25 – clear indicators that our focused work to improve instruction, increase student learning, and deliver on our promises to families is gaining momentum.
Celebrating Big Wins
The headline success story is Abilene High School, which earned a B rating of 86, a 10-point increase from last year and a 16-point increase since the 2022-23 school year. This dramatic improvement reflects the hard work of our students, teachers, and campus leadership and is an inspiring example of the kind of growth we are building across the district.
Three Abilene ISD high schools increased their College, Career, and Military Readiness scores in one year, with both Abilene High and Cooper High School increasing their CCMR scores by 20 points or more.
ATEMS, AISD’s STEM-focused high school, continues to set a high bar, earning an A rating for the fourth consecutive year with a score of 94. ATEMS’ consistent excellence is a shining example of what is possible when innovation, culture, and high expectations come together.
Craig Middle School improved significantly, increasing 7 points to earn a B rating of 80. Congratulations to the Craig team for helping lead the way as we focus on providing a great educational experience for our middle school learners.
Among AISD campuses that are still progressing toward A or B status, there are many stories worth celebrating. Purcell Elementary, for example, jumped from a 58 in 2023-24 to a 77 in 2024-25. Purcell’s remarkable 19-point increase is the result of focused leadership and strong instructional support.
In a single year, the percentage of AISD students attending A- or B-rated schools has grown from 6% to 34% of our more than 14,000 students. This is powerful progress as we work toward our North Star Goal, which states that by the 2028-29 school year, 75% of our students will be learning in A- or B-rated classrooms and campuses.
Moving Forward Together
We know that we still have work to do, and we are deeply committed to this work because our students deserve nothing less.
Importantly, we also recognize that these ratings are not the only measure of school quality. Abilene ISD does not uncritically endorse the A-F accountability system. Research consistently shows that A-F systems often fail to capture the complexity of school performance and can unfairly penalize schools serving students from disadvantaged backgrounds. Still, we highly value transparency, accountability, and setting measurable goals for academic growth. Our community deserves to know where we stand, and more importantly, where we’re going.
AISD is a district with a proud legacy of excellence, and we are returning to our roots of outstanding academic performance. Our goal is to cement Abilene ISD as the school district of choice in the Big Country. Honoring our legacy by offering a high-quality learning experience for every student is not optional, and accountability for doing so begins with us.
Thank you to our teachers, staff, principals, families, and community members who support this work and who believe in the power of public education in Abilene. We are incredibly proud of our shared progress in 2024-25, and we are energized by what lies ahead.
Together, Abilene ISD is raising the bar. Every student. Every day. Whatever it takes.
Dr. John Kuhn, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools