329 Texas schools earn Purple Star status for 2026-27

Military families move often, and each move means a new school, new records and new routines. Texas has a state program meant to make that easier, and it grew sharply this fall.

Texas now has 427 Purple Star campuses after state education officials added 329 public schools to the list for 2026-27 in early September, according to the Texas Education Agency.

Local outlets in Killeen, Belton and Wichita Falls have reported on their own districts’ honors. The statewide picture, and the work behind the designation, has drawn less attention.

What it takes to earn the designation

The program dates to 2019, when Gov. Greg Abbott signed Senate Bill 1557. According to TEA, a campus must meet four requirements:

1. A campus military liaison. A named staff member serves as the point of contact for military-connected students and families.
2. A dedicated webpage. The campus must maintain an easy-to-find page with required information for military families.
3. A transition program. The school must run a program to help military-connected students move in and out.
4. A military family initiative. The campus must support an initiative for military families.

TEA calls these criteria “rigorous,” but they are also concrete. A parent can check most of them in a few minutes: look for the webpage, then ask the front office who the military liaison is.

Any public school can apply

A school does not need a large military population to qualify. TEA says all Texas public school campuses are eligible, regardless of how many military-connected students they serve. Applications are accepted annually, and the designation lasts two years.

That two-year term matters. A designation is not permanent, so a school that earned it in an earlier round has to apply again to keep it.

What state leaders said

“Texas will always support our service members and ensure their children have the resources necessary to succeed,” Abbott said in the TEA release.

Education Commissioner Mike Morath said Purple Star campuses “are leading the way in making sure these students feel welcomed, supported and connected to their communities.”

Why it matters for families on the move

Military-connected students can face gaps when credits, special education services or extracurricular eligibility do not transfer cleanly. A trained liaison and a written transition plan do not solve every problem, but they give families a known person to call and a process to follow.

For families relocating to Texas on orders, the full 2026-27 designee list is linked from TEA’s announcement and can be a useful starting point when comparing schools near a new duty station.

For school leaders

Principals considering an application should start with the four criteria above. The webpage and liaison requirements cost little. The transition program and family initiative take more planning, and campuses near military installations may already have partners on base who can help.

Watch TEA’s announcements for the next application window. Because designations run two years, campuses that earned the honor in 2025-26 will want to track when renewal is due.