From Nacogdoches ISD Superintendent Grey Burton:
Texas Education Agency released accountability ratings Friday (Aug. 14) that spotlight continued growth at Nacogdoches High School and McMichael Middle School. The same ratings also indicate we still have work to do at three of our elementary schools.
We are proud of the improvements we’ve made overall to raise our district’s accountability rating to a C and especially the improvements at our secondary campuses. Our high school and middle school both improved by a letter grade. This reflects the hard work of both students and staff taking place at those campuses.
Getting the high school to a B and McMichael Middle School to a C is a great example of the progress our students are capable of making, but it’s only the beginning of a process to make Nacogdoches ISD the flagship district in East Texas. The process is never complete; we want the top ratings for all of our schools.
Our priority will continue to be our three low performing elementary campuses. There’s no way to ignore the fact these elementary campuses received the lowest rating. We made a few targeted changes last spring and this summer to help address those campuses.
Our instructional department has been working with all of our schools to ensure systems are in place to better support student outcomes. These systems will bring more consistency to all of our campuses and allow staff to identify and rectify specific students' needs.
The students on our elementary campuses are more than capable. We must continuously reinforce that fact with them and hold our students to the highest standard. We are focused on academic growth for each student, and we want our students to adopt an attitude of daily improvement. If they are better today than they were yesterday they are being successful.
Passing rates on the tests for third-, fourth- and fifth-graders are what determines our accountability rating. We’re starting this school year with the acknowledgement, with the understanding, those scores have to improve so our accountability rating improves. I am supremely confident in the people and plans we have in place at our elementary campuses. I fully believe the gains will be dramatic.
If you aspire to Be Legendary there’s always more to be done, and we readily acknowledge that and accept the challenge. We want our students to excel at all levels, and we want Nacogdoches ISD to be a model of excellence. But we also hold the position that test scores and state ratings do not come close to reflecting the outstanding achievements and accomplishments of our students at Nacogdoches ISD.
It’s also important to remember there’s more to Nacogdoches ISD than a high-stakes test. Just a couple of months ago, back in May, while the Class of 2026 was preparing to walk across the stage and receive their diplomas, more than 140 soon-to-be graduates participated in Career & Technical Education Department Signing Day, when graduates who had already secured a job within their field of study or had been accepted to a college, university, or technical school to continue their CTE pathway/studies signed agreements to attend college or technical school following graduation. The vast majority of those students had earned certificates and were still planning to attend college, including more than half that are set to begin their freshman year later this month at Stephen F. Austin State University.
And that number doesn’t account for the top graduates from the Class of 2026 – many are headed to (or have already left) to some of the most prestigious colleges and universities across Texas and the nation. I want you to remember that each spring, NHS routinely sends students to the state science and engineering fair, and that was again the case in 2026, including qualifications for the international fair.
And Nacogdoches ISD’s successes extend to the fine arts, which have been proven in study after study to crucial enrichment while contributing to overall academic success. Fine arts in the district are among the best in East Texas, if not the entire state, with band, choral, dance and visual arts programs continuing to compile awards on an annual basis.
While many of these accomplishments become most visible at our high school and middle school, they don’t simply happen once students reach eighth- or ninth-grade. It’s due to the support and guidance received along the way, beginning in kindergarten, and progressing through elementary and middle school grades. We are creating, at an early age, opportunities for our students to be successful in life. We are giving them the tools needed to be difference makers in all areas.
As we continue the work to improve our accountability rating, don't forget to celebrate the great things our students are doing everyday. We have unlimited potential in Nacogdoches ISD and we are committed to maximizing it to the fullest. We are committing to BE LEGENDARY.