The Texas Education Agency has confirmed that Richardson Independent School District has again earned the distinction of being a "Recognized" school district, based on 2006-07 student performance. It marks the second consecutive year RISD has earned the distinction, the largest urban district in Texas to do so.

The Texas accountability system provides for districts and individual campuses to receive one of four annual performance ratings, "Academically Unacceptable, Academically Acceptable, Recognized and Exemplary." The ratings are based on student performance on the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS), spread across grade levels, subjects, and demographic groups. In all, there are 24 possible rated categories, and campuses and districts must meet specific standards in all 24 to attain higher ratings. The system is designed such that if any student group doesn't meet a categorical standard, their entire campus (or district) rating will be affected, regardless of the performance of other student groups. Thus, mathematically, campuses and districts with more student groups face a more difficult task than their counterparts with fewer student groups.

The Texas accountability system should not be confused with the Federal No Child Left Behind Act, which assesses districts and campuses using different methods.