Klein ISD's class of 2026 earned a record $115.3 million in scholarships, trustees learned at their Monday, Sept. 14 board meeting, where they also unanimously approved a new state-mandated compliance certification.
The scholarship total topped any previous graduating class in the district. More than 4,000 students earned nearly 22,000 college credit hours in advanced courses, including 81 associate degrees, Chief Academic Officer Anthony Indelicato told the board, according to Community Impact.
Indelicato said Klein ISD continues to build "strong academic momentum" with year-over-year gains. The district earned 136 total distinctions from the Texas Education Agency (TEA), a 6% increase from the prior year. Klein ISD maintained its overall "B" rating with 88 out of 100 points, up two from 2025. Four of the district's five high schools earned an "A" rating, and Klein Forest rose eight points to 89.
New compliance requirement
The board, led by President Doug James, voted unanimously to approve a Certification of Compliance authorized under Texas Education Code Section 39.008. The certification is a new annual requirement for all Texas school districts starting with the 2026-27 school year. Districts must file it by Sept. 30.
Trustees also approved the district's Three-Year Safety Audit Survey Results and campus goals and performance objectives.
STAAR replacement coming
Indelicato told trustees that Klein ISD will continue using accountability standards established in 2023 for now. Under House Bill 8 (HB 8), signed by Gov. Greg Abbott in September 2025, the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) will be replaced by the Student Success Tool starting in the 2027-28 school year.
For students in grades 3-8, the change means moving from 15 annual assessments to 51. Those tests will be spread across three windows: beginning of year, middle of year and end of year.
Klein ISD's presentation at the Sept. 14 meeting cited the 15-to-51 figure. The TEA's overview of HB 8 confirms the three-window structure but does not specify a total assessment count.
The law also eliminates the English II end-of-course exam as a graduation requirement starting in 2027-28. Students in the classes of 2026 and 2027 still must pass it.
"House Bill 8 ends the high stakes and high stress nature of one test, one day," Rep. Brad Buckley, the bill's author, said on the Texas House floor on Sept. 30, 2025, as reported by the Texas Tribune.
TEA must deliver a transition plan to the Legislature by Feb. 15, 2027. The A-F accountability system will reset for ratings issued in fall 2028.
The next Klein ISD board meeting is Monday, Oct. 5 at the Frank A. Lemmon Administration Building, 7200 Spring Cypress Road in Klein.
