Overview

• The 2025 cohort includes 26 public schools and two private schools, according to the governor's office.
• Eight campuses are in the Houston area, including HISD's Carnegie Vanguard High School, Project Chrysalis Middle School and Thompson Elementary.
• The state says the recognition honors outstanding academic performance and progress in closing achievement gaps.
• Texas framed the shift as aligning recognition with local priorities after the U.S. Department of Education ended the national Blue Ribbon program.
• Texas Education Agency Commissioner Mike Morath praised the honorees, and other states such as Connecticut are developing their own replacements.