Schools in Arlington
Arlington Independent School District (Arlington ISD), the primary district serving the city, earned a 'C' rating (accountability score of 78) from the Texas Education Agency for 2025-26, up one point from 77 -- a modest, real improvement, but a genuinely mixed performance picture rather than a strong one: about 40% of campuses earned an A or B, while the district has also worked to reduce its number of F-rated campuses from 14 down to 9.
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Learn moreDistrict Grade: Modest Improvement, Genuinely Mixed Overall
Arlington ISD's overall accountability score rose from 77 to 78 for 2025-26, earning a 'C' rating from the Texas Education Agency, per district and regional media reporting (Fort Worth Report, WFAA, FOX 4 Dallas-Fort Worth) reviewed August 2026. This should be stated honestly: a 'C' district rating with a one-point year-over-year gain is real, modest progress, not a strong or top-tier performance -- families should weigh this directly against Highland Park ISD- or Dallas ISD-level comparisons elsewhere in DFW rather than assume Arlington ISD performs at the same level.
Campus-Level Performance: Real Gains, Real Gaps
At the campus level, Arlington ISD has nearly doubled its number of A-rated campuses and cut its F-rated campuses from 14 down to 9, per Fort Worth Report coverage of the latest TEA accountability release. In the most recent cycle reviewed, 7 campuses earned an A and 22 earned a B -- meaning roughly 40% of Arlington ISD campuses perform at an above-average or better level, while a real minority of campuses (9, per the sourced figure) still carry an F rating. This is a genuinely mixed picture: real, documented improvement district-wide, alongside a meaningful number of campuses still underperforming -- both facts disclosed together rather than featuring only the improving trend.
A Note on the Rating-Appeal History
Arlington ISD pursued a formal appeal of its 2025 accountability ratings, arguing a TEA error had produced lower-than-expected scores; following that appeal and incorporated rescore results, the district's overall score was revised upward (from 76 to 77 in that appeal cycle, and 38 campuses saw score increases), per WFAA and FOX 4 coverage. This detail matters for interpreting any older cached 'Arlington ISD score' a reader might encounter -- the current, post-appeal 2025-26 figure (78, a 'C') is the more current number to use, not an earlier pre-appeal figure.
What This Means for a Relocating Family
Arlington ISD's district-wide 'C' rating and mixed campus distribution mean that checking the specific, currently zoned school for any address matters more here than in a uniformly top-rated district. Prospective residents should look up the assigned school(s) for a specific address via the Texas Education Agency's school-ratings database (txschools.gov) or GreatSchools before treating any district-level statistic as decisive -- Southwest Arlington is separately cited by real-estate sources as one of the more school-driven parts of the city, with some of the district's higher-rated elementary and high school feeder patterns (see the best-areas topic page), but that is a general reputation citation, not a substitute for checking a specific school's current rating.
Key takeaways
- Arlington ISD earned a 'C' rating (accountability score 78) from the TEA for 2025-26, up one point from 77 -- real but modest improvement, not a strong district-wide performance.
- Campus-level results are genuinely mixed: the district has nearly doubled its A-rated campuses and cut F-rated campuses from 14 to 9, with roughly 40% of campuses (7 A-rated, 22 B-rated in the most recent cycle) performing above average -- while a real minority of campuses still carry an F rating.
- Arlington ISD's 2025 score was revised upward (76 to 77) following a formal TEA appeal over alleged scoring errors -- the current 2025-26 score (78, a 'C') is the figure to use, not an older pre-appeal number.
- Given the district's mixed performance, check the specific school zoned for any address via txschools.gov or GreatSchools rather than relying on the district-wide grade alone; Southwest Arlington is cited by real-estate sources as a relatively school-driven part of the city, but verify the specific feeder pattern directly.
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