Court Clears the Way for 2024 Texas School Ratings — What San Antonio Homeowners Need to Know

If you have been watching San Antonio real estate this summer, here is a development worth paying attention to. On July 3, 2025, the 15th Court of Appeals ruled that the Texas Education Agency can move forward and release the 2024 school performance ratings. The decision clears a legal logjam that had been building for well over a year, and it has real consequences for anyone buying, selling, renting, or owning a home anywhere in the greater San Antonio area.

To understand why this matters, a little background helps. More than 120 school districts across Texas had gone to court to block the release of the 2023 school ratings, and the dispute carried into the 2024 cycle as well. One of the central complaints was a significant change TEA made to the college-readiness benchmark required to earn an A. For high schools, that bar was raised from 60 percent to 88 percent — a jump that many districts argued was unreasonably steep and would push schools that were genuinely performing well into lower letter-grade territory.

The courts held up the ratings while the legal fight played out. Now, with the 15th Court of Appeals ruling in TEA's favor, those 2024 ratings can be published. That means families, investors, landlords, and real estate professionals are about to have access to updated, official information about how schools performed — information that has been missing from the conversation for longer than usual.

So what does this mean if you are thinking about buying a home in San Antonio right now?

School ratings have a measurable influence on home values and buyer demand, particularly in family-oriented neighborhoods and suburbs. In areas like Alamo Ranch, Stone Oak, Helotes, Schertz, New Braunfels, and Boerne, school district reputation is often one of the first things buyers ask about. Neighborhoods served by Northside ISD, North East ISD, Comal ISD, and Judson ISD are all part of conversations where those letter grades carry real weight. When updated ratings become public, buyers will likely reassess some of their assumptions — and some neighborhoods could see renewed interest while others may face harder questions.

For buyers, the timing is important. We are heading into midsummer, which is still an active period for families trying to settle before the school year begins. If the 2024 ratings show strong marks for schools in a neighborhood you have been considering, you may have less time than you think before other buyers react to the same information. On the other hand, if ratings disappoint in an area where you already own or are under contract, it is worth taking a measured look at what that might mean for demand and values — without overreacting to a single data point.

For sellers, especially those in ZIP codes like 78258 or 78023 where school quality is a major selling point, these ratings are a fresh opportunity. If your neighborhood's schools post strong 2024 grades, that becomes a legitimate, specific talking point you can highlight when marketing your home. Buyers in San Antonio who are relocating from other cities often rely heavily on published ratings when they cannot visit every school in person. An official A rating from TEA carries credibility that word-of-mouth alone cannot replicate.

For renters and landlords, the picture is similar. Rental demand in neighborhoods near highly rated schools tends to stay strong, particularly from families who want access to quality public education without committing to a purchase. Landlords near top-rated campuses in districts like Southwest ISD, Southside ISD, or East Central ISD will want to watch how the ratings land, since that information influences where families choose to rent — and what they are willing to pay.

One thing worth keeping in mind is that the raised college-readiness benchmark means some schools that were previously earning A grades may not be able to meet the new 88 percent threshold. That does not necessarily mean those schools became worse — it may simply mean the measuring stick changed. As a homeowner or buyer, it pays to look beyond the letter grade and consider other factors like campus-level trends, teacher experience, extracurricular programs, and the overall culture of the school. A single rating is a starting point, not the whole story.

The practical takeaway is this: pay attention when TEA publishes those 2024 ratings, because they will ripple through real estate conversations across Bexar County and the surrounding region quickly. Whether you are buying in Converse, selling in Helotes, renting near the Medical Center, or holding an investment property in the South Side, school performance data is one of the most searched pieces of information in any home search.

If you have questions about how school ratings in a specific neighborhood or ZIP code might affect your real estate decisions this summer, we are here to help you work through it.