To the Administrator Addressed (TAA) Correspondence

2026 Accountability Pairing Registration Requirements

The purpose of this communication is to notify school systems that the 2026 campus pairing registration for state academic accountability is now open. It closes at 5:00 p.m. (CT) on May 8, 2026.

All campuses serving prekindergarten through grade 12 must receive an academic accountability rating. Campuses that serve only grades not tested on the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR®) (i.e., PK, K, grade 1, or grade 2) must be paired with either another campus in the district or with the district itself. The Texas Education Agency (TEA) analyzes TSDS PEIMS fall enrollment data to determine which campuses need to be paired.

Districts may use the prior-year pairing relationship or select a new relationship by completing the pairing form in the TEAL Accountability application. If a district does not indicate a pairing preference, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) will make the pairing decisions. For campuses that have been paired in the past, TEA staff assume that the prior pairing relationship still applies.

Alternative education campuses (AECs) registered for evaluation by alternative education accountability (AEA) provisions are not paired with another campus. Likewise, traditional campuses are not paired with AECs.

Paired data is not used for distinction designations indicators; therefore, paired campuses cannot earn distinction designations.

For campuses in need of pairing for the first time, pairing selections should be based on the Campus Pairing Guidelines available on the 2026 Accountability Rating System webpage.

Questions

If you have questions regarding pairing, see “Chapter 7 - Other Accountability System Processes” of the final A-F Accountability System Manual for 2026 ratings or contact the Performance Reporting Division via the Performance Reporting Helpdesk.