The Wylie Independent School District and the Plano Independent School District have received grades of “A” for financial integrity and accountability from the Texas Education Agency (TEA) for the 2023-2024 school year.

“These school systems reflect a continued commitment to effective financial management practices so that they can best serve students,” the TEA said in releasing of rankings. 

Garland ISD received a “B,” the TEA said.

Overall, 83% of the 1,017 ISDs in Texas received the highest “Superior Achievement” ranking, the TEA said in a Nov. 8 release.

The state’s school financial accountability rating system, known as the School Financial Integrity Rating System of Texas (FIRST), “ensures that Texas public schools are held accountable for the quality of their financial management practices and that they improve these practices,” the TEA said. 

“The system is designed to encourage Texas public schools to better manage their financial resources to provide the maximum allocation possible for direct instructional purposes,” the agency said.

The 77th Texas Legislature established the FIRST ratings in 2001, based on annual financial reports submitted by school systems to the TEA.

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