The way schools are evaluated in Texas is quite systematic and detailed.

Usually, people think of the A-F grading system implemented by the Texas Education Agency (TEA).

Let's discuss in more detail how the evaluation is specifically conducted and why.

First, in Texas, students take a state common test called STAAR (State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness).

This test checks how well students are achieving in core subjects like English, math, science, and social studies, which is one of the key indicators of evaluation.

Especially in high school, additional factors such as AP or IB course grades, or the completion rates of CTE (Career and Technical Education) programs may also be reflected.

In other words, it's not just about doing well on tests; how much students are receiving education related to their career paths in higher courses is also an important factor.

The next important aspect is the level of school improvement. In the past, schools were judged simply based on current scores as 'good' or 'bad', but now they look at how much test scores have improved compared to the previous year, or how much students who scored low have improved.

This helps determine whether "this school is actually contributing to students' growth." For example, if last year's scores were decent and this year's are similar, it may be evaluated as 'just the same', but if students who scored low last year have significantly improved, it reflects positively as "the school has made some efforts."

And the third important factor is 'closing the achievement gap.' Texas has various student groups based on race, income level, English language learners (ELL), and special education (SPED), and the achievement gaps among these groups can be serious.

Therefore, they look at how much these gaps have been reduced.

This is a standard created to ensure that schools striving to provide equal educational opportunities for all students are properly recognized.

For instance, if a specific minority group has significantly low test scores or graduation rates, but those scores have been steadily improving over the past 1-2 years, they will receive a good evaluation.

The educational achievement level in Texas is generally rated around the middle to upper range in the United States.

However, since there are differences by subject and grade level, it is difficult to definitively say, "Texas ranks this high nationally!"

Still, we can look at the results of the NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress), a representative national academic achievement assessment, for a more specific overview.