Elkhart ISD Remains a B as High School Rises
By Greg Ritchie
Messenger Reporter
ELKHART — Elkhart ISD maintained its overall B rating in the Texas Education Agency’s 2026 accountability results, but the district’s score fell from 85 to 82 as the campuses produced different results.
The 2026 ratings, released Aug. 14, measure student achievement, school progress and closing the gaps. The state also reports academic growth and relative performance as part of the overall accountability picture.
Elkhart’s districtwide Student Achievement score was 83, rated B. School Progress scored 78, rated C, while Academic Growth dropped to 69, rated D. Relative Performance was 78, rated C, and Closing the Gaps was 80, rated B.
The district’s overall letter grade did not change, but the three-point decline reflects a weaker year in several of the state’s measured areas.
The strongest results came from Elkhart High School, which earned an A with a score of 94. That was an improvement from its 2025 score of 92.
Elkhart High School’s Student Achievement score was 94, while School Progress was 90. Its Academic Growth score was 75, rated C, but Relative Performance was 90 and Closing the Gaps was 95, both rated A.
The high school was not identified for comprehensive support, targeted support or additional targeted support. The campus report also lists a 100% graduation rate for the class measured in the state’s report and a 93% College, Career and Military Readiness rate.
Elkhart Middle School received a C with a score of 76, down from a B score of 85 in 2025. Student Achievement was 77, School Progress was 72, Academic Growth was 65, Relative Performance was 72 and Closing the Gaps was 72.
The middle school was identified for targeted support and improvement.
Elkhart Intermediate also received a C, with a score of 73. The campus scored 74 in Student Achievement, 69 in School Progress, 65 in Academic Growth, 69 in Relative Performance and 69 in Closing the Gaps. Its overall score fell from 76 in 2025.
The intermediate campus was also identified for targeted support and improvement.
Elkhart Elementary received a C with a score of 73, compared with a score of 76 in 2025. The state report lists the elementary school as paired with Elkhart Intermediate. Because of that pairing, the elementary campus does not receive separate ratings in the individual accountability domains; those areas are listed as Not Rated in the campus report.
The state’s all-student data provide additional context behind the district scores. In reading and language arts, 63% of Elkhart students met the Meets Grade Level standard or above. In mathematics, 36% met that standard or above.
The district profile lists 1,175 students enrolled across four campuses during the 2025-26 school year. It also lists an attendance rate of 96% and chronic absenteeism of 8%. Those measures are separate from the A-F accountability rating, but they help provide a broader picture of the district’s performance.
Taken together, the results show a district with a high-performing high school, but with significant work ahead at the middle and intermediate levels. Elkhart High School’s A helped preserve the district’s overall B, while academic growth and closing-the-gaps performance at other campuses pulled down the district’s score.
The ratings are a current picture of the state’s published accountability results. TEA has also released an appeals process for the 2026 ratings, so the results may remain subject to review.
Greg Ritchie can be reached at [email protected]
