Everman ISD will work with a nonprofit to convert two low-performing schools into public charter schools in a move that could help the district avoid a possible state takeover.
The southern Tarrant County district is partnering with Third Future Schools to convert Charles Baxter Junior High and Townley Elementary. The nonprofit will manage the schools' daily operations.
It comes after Baxter received its fourth consecutive F grade from the Texas Education Agency. Transforming it into a charter with an outside partner prevents a potential state takeover or closure if it receives a fifth consecutive F, and waives accountability sanctions for next year's ratings.
While Townley did not fail the 2026 ranking, it did receive a D for the second year in a row.
This year, 25% of campuses statewide were rated A. Last year, 24% received an A grade, according to TEA Commissioner Mike Morath.
"We've got to work so that every year," Morath said at a press conference Friday, "is a little bit better than the year before."
Everman ISD earned an overall C rating in the 2026 A-F grades, finishing the year with one F-rated campus alongside five B, two C, and two D ratings.
An F rating for Charles Baxter won't trigger an immediate takeover due to a 2017 Texas law that grants a two-year exemption from accountability interventions and offers potential state funding increases when districts partner with outside organizations to launch open-enrollment charter schools at struggling campuses. If Charles Baxter still receives an F rating after two years with Third Future Schools, Everman ISD could face a state takeover.
Third Future Schools — founded by Mike Miles, who left in 2023 to serve as head of Houston ISD after the state took the district over — serves over 6,000 students in Colorado, Texas and Louisiana. It partners with school districts and state departments to rapidly turn around chronically failing schools, and claims to improve student outcomes in under two years.
Everman ISD says almost 95% of staff will remain after the partnership is complete. The curriculum will focus on critical thinking, problem-solving, and cross-subject application.
Everman school officials hope the district can avoid the fate of Fort Worth ISD and Lake Worth ISD, which both came under state control over the past year.
Since Fort Worth's takeover, student outcomes do appear to have improved, with new STAAR results showing a record 39% meeting grade level this spring — the third straight year of improvement..
Brent Beasley, president and CEO of the nonprofit Fort Worth Education Partnership, told NTX Now's Miranda Suarez and Ron Corning consecutive 2% annual gains over two years have a significant impact.
"Two consecutive years at 2% a year, so now that's 4%," he said. "There's 165,000 students in all these schools. So that means there's thousands of kids — 4% is thousands more kids who are where they need to be academically."
In May, Lake Worth ISD managers met to establish foundational operations, elect officers, suspend select policies, and approve a short-term contract for Superintendent Ena Meyers.
The state takeover was ordered in December after Marilyn Miller Language Academy received five consecutive failing accountability ratings. Morath appointed conservator Andrew Kim in January and installed the new board and superintendent on April 23.
Houston ISD, the state's largest school district, has also seen some improvement since the state took control of it in 2023, earning a B overall this year.
Of the 272 HISD campuses included in the state's 2026 accountability results, 92 earned an A and 113 earned a B. Another 46 received a C, nine received a D and five received an F. Seven campuses were not rated.
Alexsis Jones is a reporter and producer for KERA News. Got a tip? Email Alexsis at ajones@kera.org.
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