As Texas families prepare to receive 2025-26 STAAR results, this year’s score release arrives at an important moment. While STAAR is currently the state’s primary measure of student achievement and school performance, after next school year significant changes are planned for how Texas assesses learning and reports student progress.
The results expected this week provide an important snapshot of how well students are mastering grade-level expectations and where additional support may be needed. They also offer a benchmark as Texas begins transitioning toward a new through-year assessment system, called the Student Success Tool (SST), that will replace STAAR in the 2027-2028 school year.
As policymakers, educators, and families review this year’s results, the focus should remain on a central question: Are students making the progress they need to succeed in college, career, and life?
What to Watch in This Year’s STAAR Results
When results are released, several indicators will be worth watching closely:
Academic recovery: Texas students have made gains since the pandemic, but questions remain about whether progress is accelerating enough to return students to pre-pandemic achievement levels.
Reading achievement: Literacy remains one of the strongest predictors of long-term student success. Reading and language arts results will provide important insight into whether students are building the foundational skills needed for future learning, college, and career success.
Math performance: Math outcomes continue to be a concern in many communities across Texas. This year’s results will help identify where students are making gains and where additional support may be needed.
Student group performance: Achievement gaps remain one of the state’s most significant challenges. Results can help identify whether all student groups are benefiting from recent investments and reforms.
Readiness for postsecondary success: Assessment results provide an important early indicator of whether students are on track for college, career, and workforce opportunities after graduation.
A New Chapter for Assessment and Accountability
Last year, the Texas Legislature passed House Bill 8 (HB 8), ushering in the next era of Texas assessment and accountability.The legislation overhauls the state assessment system to provide a clearer picture of student learning throughout the year, giving educators timely information to customize instruction and helping families track their child’s academic progress.
In addition to these changes, HB 8 eliminates the English II end-of-course exam and separates writing from the broader ELA assessment framework. HB 8 also creates a formal educator review process, giving Texas teachers a stronger voice in the design and implementation of the state’s assessment system. These changes raise important questions about how Texas will continue to measure the reading and writing skills that are closely tied to postsecondary success.
Looking Ahead
As Texas prepares for a transition to a new assessment model, this year’s STAAR results remain an important measure of student learning and school performance. The results expected this week will help educators, families, and policymakers understand where progress is occurring and where additional attention is needed.
The changes enabled by HB 8 mark the beginning of a new chapter for public education in Texas. Good Reason Houston will continue working alongside districts and policymakers to ensure the transition to a through-year assessment system preserves transparency, supports instruction, and maintains a strong focus on student outcomes.
At the same time, we remain committed to advancing measures that provide meaningful insight into high school readiness, including evaluating how best to assess the reading and writing skills students need for postsecondary success. Every student deserves a clear path to graduation, college and career readiness, and long-term economic mobility.
As this year’s STAAR results are released, they should serve as a measure of current performance, and also as a reminder of the importance of maintaining a strong, transparent assessment and accountability system that keeps student success at the center of every decision.
Trista Bishop-Watt and Patrick Gill contributed to this blog.
