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Sadler Means Academy Rose From F to B Rating in 2026

The Northeast Austin school improved academic scores and plans to open a new campus in January 2027.

Updated on Oct. 5, 2026 in Secondary Education

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The Bertha Sadler Means Young Women's Leadership Academy improved its Texas Education Agency rating from an F to a B, providing a blueprint for other schools in the Austin Independent School District. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Bertha Sadler Means Young Women's Leadership Academy in Northeast Austin improved its Texas Education Agency rating from an F to a B in August 2026. Austin ISD now looks to the school's instructional approach as a model to help other campuses across the district improve their own state ratings.

Why it matters

The school's turnaround offers a potential roadmap for the district as it works to improve outcomes at 20 campuses that received an F rating this year. Educators and parents are watching closely to see if these methods can be successfully replicated to avoid state interventions, such as those seen at other middle schools.

The school achieved a state rating of 85 in 2026, a significant increase from its score of 48 in 2023. Student proficiency in reading rose to 45% and math reached 42% since 2024, far outpacing the current district-wide improvements.

The players

Bertha Sadler Means Young Women's Leadership Academy

A public school in Northeast Austin that serves 222 students.

Texas Education Agency

The state body responsible for issuing annual academic ratings for public schools.

Austin ISD

The local school district managing the improvement efforts for struggling campuses.

The details

School leadership implemented the Fab Five vision, which emphasizes small-group instruction, writing across the curriculum, and purposeful teaching. Teachers also provided students with personal academic trackers to share individual performance data. These strategies are currently being evaluated by Austin ISD officials for use at other campuses facing similar rating challenges.

Timeline

  1. The school first opened in Northeast Austin in 2015.

  2. The school received F ratings in both 2023 and 2024.

  3. The Texas Education Agency released the annual letter grades in mid-August 2026.

  4. A new school campus is scheduled to open in January 2027.

The Texas Context

This academic recovery follows the precedent of the Texas state takeover law, which forced interventions at Burnet and Webb middle schools after five consecutive F ratings. The district is now attempting to reverse this trend at 20 campuses by scaling successful models from improved schools.

Parents and families can expect the new $102.1 million school campus to open in January 2027. This construction is part of a larger $2.4 billion voter-approved bond program.

The takeaway

School leadership aims to achieve an A rating in 2027 following this year's successful jump to a B. Families should monitor the January 2027 opening of the new campus as a milestone in the school's ongoing academic progress.

Further reading

For more information on school improvement initiatives, visit Secondary Education.

Source note: This article includes information reported by The Dallas Morning News.

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