Released this September, the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts' FAST report gave Pearland ISD a five-star rating for strongest academic progress combined with the lowest relative spending.

Pearland ISD also won the Texas Honors Circle Award for managing finances responsibly while preparing students for college and career success.

In the comptroller's study, Pearland ISD achieved a composite academic progress percentile of 94 percent (making as much or more progress than 94 percent of Texas districts) and ranked "very low" in spending.

FAST assigns districts and campuses a rating of one to five stars, indicating their success in combining cost-effective spending with measurable student academic progress. Only 45 charter and public school districts received a five-star rating this year.

In addition, according to the FAST report, the district achieved an 87 percent passing rate on all Texas standardized tests -- as compared to the state average of 76 percent.

"Providing the best education possible to our students requires district-wide collaboration. From campus staff and board members who hold themselves and students to the highest expectations to an outstanding business office that wisely manages our expenses, we continue to produce quality results with the resources entrusted to us," Dr. John Kelly, Pearland ISD superintendent, said.

For the complete FAST results, visit www.FASTexas.org.