Montgomery ISD Board of Trustees Adopts Tax Rate for 2025-26 School Year
August 19, 2025 – The Montgomery ISD Board of Trustees held its regularly scheduled monthly meeting on Tuesday, August 19, and adopted the district’s tax rate for the 2025–26 school year.
The total tax rate for the school district is made up of two components:
- Maintenance & Operations (M&O): Provides for the day-to-day operations of the district, including teacher salaries, classroom instruction, student programs, fuel and utilities.
- Interest & Sinking (I&S): Used to pay down debt for voter-approved facilities that serve Montgomery ISD students.
The new Montgomery ISD tax rates are $0.7169 (M&O) and $0.3743 (I&S) for a total of $1.0912 per $100 property valuation. The rate remains unchanged from the 2024–25 school year.
Each year, the Texas Education Agency calculates a “Maximum Compressed Rate” (MCR) for every school district. School districts then add to the MCR the number of additional cents it has access to through “Tier 2 Funding”. Under the state’s school finance system, Tier 2 tax rate pennies provide school districts and their communities local discretion to generate additional revenue to meet local needs. For this year, Montgomery ISD’s MCR was calculated at $0.6169 per $100 of assessed property value. MISD tier 2 funding provides access to an additional 10 cents, which is added to the MCR to equal the total M&O tax rate of $0.7169 per $100 of assessed property value.
It’s important to note that the Board of Trustees votes annually to set the district’s tax rate, but it does not determine property values, which are set by the Montgomery Central Appraisal District. Due to recent state legislative changes to tax compression and the way the Maximum Compressed Rate (MCR) is calculated, Montgomery ISD’s overall tax rate is now nearly 28 cents lower than it was in 2019—even with the voter approval of Proposition A in 2024. Looking ahead, Texas voters will consider a constitutional amendment this November that would increase the homestead exemption from $100,000 to $140,000, providing property tax relief to homeowners.
For the 2025–26 school year, Montgomery ISD will continue to operate with a balanced budget.
“Thanks to the support of our community in passing Proposition A, we’ve been able to directly invest those funds into maintaining a balanced budget, supporting our people, and strengthening support for students in our classrooms,” Superintendent Dr. Mark Ruffin said. “Keeping the tax rate stable while providing the resources our schools need demonstrates our commitment to both fiscal responsibility and student success.”
Cell Phone Policy
In alignment with the new state law (Texas House Bill 1481), the Montgomery ISD Board of Trustees adopted a district policy outlining how the district will continue restricting the use of personal communication devices—including cell phones, smartwatches, and earbuds—during the school day.
Montgomery ISD first implemented the Away for the Day practice during the 2024–25 school year. Following the rollout, many teachers, students, and families shared that students felt less distracted, resulting in more focused learning environments and more positive, face-to-face interactions between students and staff. The district also saw a decrease in behavioral issues connected to social media or other online activity.
To support a focused and respectful learning environment, students are not allowed to use personal devices during class, breakfast, lunch, or while transitioning between classes. Devices should remain turned off, out of sight, and not in use throughout the school day. If a student uses a device without permission during school hours, it will be confiscated and addressed in accordance with MISD campus discipline guidelines.
“We are proud that Montgomery ISD was ahead of the curve on this issue, putting these guidelines in place before it became state law,” Board President Eddie Winn said. “We have already seen the positive impact of limiting personal devices on our campuses—more meaningful and engaging interactions among students and staff, and classrooms that are more focused on learning. I’m excited to see this continue as we work together to provide the best possible environment for our students to learn and grow.”
Accountability Ratings
The Board also heard an update from the district on the 2023-24 and 2024-25 Texas Education Agency (TEA) accountability ratings. For 2023-24, the district’s overall rating was 86, and for 2024-25, the district’s overall rating was 87. The district’s 87 score is the highest of any Montgomery County School District.
Notably, Montgomery ISD once again outperformed state averages at each achievement level in nearly every content area measured by the Spring 2025 STAAR. This continues a strong trend of academic excellence across our campuses. The district will use STAAR data to identify areas for growth and improvement across campuses, grade levels, and content areas—and develop targeted plans to meet the goals outlined in its strategic plan.
Three Montgomery ISD campuses—Oak Hills Junior High School, Lake Creek High School, and Stewart Creek Elementary School—earned an A rating for the 2024–25 school year. In addition, 6 of the 10 campuses rated in 2023–24 improved their ratings this year.
“Montgomery ISD is committed to preparing every student for success in college, career, and life,” Superintendent Dr. Mark Ruffin said. “While no single rating or test can fully capture our mission, we are encouraged that since the state’s 2022–23 STAAR redesign, our overall district rating has improved each year. We remain focused on using a comprehensive set of data and professional insight to guide instruction, implement targeted strategies, and improve outcomes for all students. Although the state’s A–F accountability system places significant weight on STAAR test performance, we believe no single standardized test should be the primary measure of a student’s, school’s, or district’s success. Our commitment is to provide a well-rounded, high-quality education that fosters academic growth, critical thinking, and prepares students to achieve their goals and dreams after graduation.”
You can see all Montgomery ISD campus ratings here.