Accounting

Kara Knott, Director of Accounting

 

District earns top score for finances, academics in TXSmartSchools report

Cost-effective operations and high student achievement once again make Pearland ISD a standout in state rankings.

Recognized by the “Houston Chronicle” and Children at Risk as one of the top-performing districts in the greater Houston area, Pearland ISD also earned TXSmartSchools’ highest 2016 ranking.

The district was one of only 18 charter and 26 public school districts statewide to achieve TXSmartSchools’ five-star “Smart Score,” reflecting strongest relative academic progress combined with lowest relative spending.

Replacing the Financial Allocation Study for Texas (FAST), TXSmartSchools identifies effective, efficient “Smart Schools” that show maximum student performance in return for each taxpayer dollar.

With approximately 1,025 public school districts and 200 charter operators statewide, Texas districts operate in widely varying cost environments. Thus, the study evaluated them against their fiscal peers – those similar in size, demographics and cost of living.

Using data from Texas Education Agency, U.S. Census Bureau and Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, the study took averages from three school years (2012-13, 2013-14 and 2014-15) to compare districts more accurately.

TXSmartSchools used three measures to determine ratings:

• Academic progress in reading/language arts and math
• Spending index (based on local labor market, district size/geography and student demographics)
• Smart Score (combination of academic progress and spending measures)

Pearland ISD achieved the five-star “Smart Score” with a composite progress rating between 80-99 percent and “very low” spending index.

For complete TXSmartSchools (FAST) results, visit www.txsmartschools.org.