Denton ISD earned a "Superior Achievement" rating on the state's school finance report card for the 22nd year in a row, and the only points it gave up came from the size of its debt compared with local property values.
The district's annual financial management report, posted for the school board's 6 p.m. meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 13, shows a score of 98 out of 100 on the Texas Education Agency's School Financial Integrity Rating System of Texas, known as School FIRST. The rating looks at the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2025.
Trustees will hold a public hearing on the report during the meeting at the DISD Central Services Building, 1307 N. Locust St.
Where the two points went
School FIRST scores districts on 21 indicators. According to the report, Denton ISD passed all four critical indicators and all five ceiling indicators, and it received the maximum score on every financial competence measure.
The district took 78 of 80 possible points on the solvency indicators. The shortfall came on indicator 12, which compares future debt payments with assessed property value. A district needs a ratio of four or less to get all 10 points there. Denton ISD's ratio was 6.8885, which earned 8 points.
Other numbers in the report
- Cash on hand: 90.23 days of operating expenses in the general fund at the end of the fiscal year.
- Short-term coverage: current assets of $1,114,301,167 against current liabilities of $237,337,725, a ratio of 4.695.
- Fund balance: a change of negative 15.76% over three years, within the indicator's limit of a 25% decrease.
- Enrollment: a decline of 0.8% during the 2024-25 school year.
- Administrative costs: a ratio of .0616. The report notes the state paused scoring on that indicator for this rating cycle.
