The financially struggling La Marque (Texas) school district officially has become part of the Texas City school system.
The Houston Chronicle reports that the annexation, ordered last year by the Texas Education Agency (TEA), became official on July 1.
The final impediment to Texas City's takeover of La Marque schools was removed last week when an appeals court dismissed a lawsuit brought by a former La Marque school board member who was challenging the dissolution of the district.
The TEA concluded last year that the La Marque district has had substandard academic and financial performances for the past several years. The agency had revoked La Marque's accreditation and said the district would close at the conclusion of the 2015-16 school year.
Since the TEA's December 2015 edict, La Marque schools had been supervised by a board of managers appointed by the state's education commissioner.
In 2015, Texas City has a student enrollment of 6,357, and La Marque had 2,306 students.
