The Houston Independent School District (HISD) is retaining its most effective teachers, those who demonstrate the greatest positive impact on students. Retaining the most effective teachers is an important step in giving all students consistent, strong
classroom instruction.
Data from the 2024–2025 school year shows a clear connection between teacher performance and retention: as teacher performance increases, so does the likelihood that a teacher will return to serve HISD students.
“We’re encouraged to see that so many of our most effective teachers are choosing to continue their work in HISD classrooms,” said HISD Superintendent Mike Miles. “We’re investing in our teachers because when instruction is at its best, students do their best.”
Key findings from the 2024–2025 teacher retention and performance analysis:
• Top-performing teachers stay. HISD retained more than 84% of teachers rated Proficient I or above on both the T-TESS Summative Effectiveness evaluation and the April Spot Proficiency rating. Overall, 89% of teachers rated Exemplary I returned for the 2025-2026 school year.
• Strong overall retention. HISD retained 76.6% of teachers from last school year to this school year.
• Effectiveness and experience. Effectiveness slightly improves as teachers gain experience up to 19 years, then slowly declines. After the second year in the classroom, the percentage of teachers rated Progressing II and below and Proficient I and above is roughly the same across all years of experience.
• Effectiveness and certification. Effectiveness rates are slightly higher for certified teachers. Nearly 73% of teachers with certification in-progress were rated Progressing II and above.
HISD’s focus on developing and retaining its most effective teachers ensures Houston students have access to the educators who make the greatest impact on learning and want to stay and grow in HISD.
