Recently released performance data for the 2025-26 State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness, or STAAR, exam, administered this spring to third through eighth grade, show mixed results among Austin ISD students compared to state averages and the prior year.
AISD students outpaced the state average on reading and language arts exams across third through fifth grade, but posted mixed math results, according to STAAR scores the Texas Education Agency released June 16.
Science scores for fifth grade and eighth grade have been delayed to July 31 “due to standard setting requirements,” according to TEA’s all-combined STAAR results report.
What you need to know
The TEA uses a four-tiered system to score student performance in each subject: did not meet grade level, approaches grade level, meets grade level and masters grade level. "Approaches grade level" is considered a passing score, which represents students who are likely to succeed in the next grade but may need targeted academic intervention, according to the TEA.
Breaking it down
Compared to 2024-25, most AISD grades and subjects saw passing rates rise or hold steady. Third grade reading and language arts, fourth grade reading and language arts, sixth grade reading and language arts and seventh grade math all declined year over year.
Seventh grade math saw the steepest drop, with the passing rate falling from 37% in 2024-25 to 32% in 2026. That comparison is complicated by a much smaller pool of test takers, as more students move into Algebra I before high school, according to TEA.
Eighth grade social studies was among the gains, rising from 55% passing in 2024-25 to 62% in 2026.
Zooming out
AISD elementary and middle school students passed STAAR at higher rates than the state average in reading and language arts in third, fourth and fifth grade.
Math results were more mixed, with AISD matching the state in third and fifth grade, trailing in fourth, sixth and seventh grade, and beating the state in eighth grade.
AISD also outperformed the state in eighth grade social studies, 62% to 57%.
What they’re saying
“The 2026 results demonstrate both the progress Texas students are making and the work that remains ahead of us,” Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath said in a June 16 news release.
“We are encouraged by continued gains in mathematics, especially with the growing number of students participating and succeeding in advanced mathematics courses,” he said.
Morath said the gains in middle school reading “may be associated with the statewide ban on the use of cell phones in schools.”
AISD did not respond to Community Impact’s request for comment as of press time.
Some context
As outlined in the Texas Education Code, middle school math students may progress to Algebra I and sometimes Geometry before they reach high school.
Historically, advanced math students in seventh grade have not taken the on-level exam with the rest of their peers. Instead, they took the eighth grade STAAR or Algebra I end-of-course exam. As a result, TEA has consistently reported fewer tests taken in seventh grade compared to other grade levels each year.
Moving forward
In April 2025, the Texas State Board of Education approved TEKS for three new advanced middle school math programs that compact the requirements for sixth and seventh grade math and equate advanced eighth grade math with an Algebra I high school credit, according to TEA.
Starting in the 2026-27 school year, the only seventh grade students not taking the seventh grade math STAAR will be those taking the Algebra EOC.
As previously reported by Community Impact, Texas public school students will begin taking three shorter exams in place of the spring STAAR exam in fall 2027 under House Bill 8.
What else
Families can access their student's STAAR results by following the steps detailed at www.communityimpact.com. More information regarding AISD system-wide testing can be found at www.austinisd.org/accountability/systemwide-testing.
