The breakdown
The STAAR test is given to third through 12th grade students to measure student progress and teacher performance.
Students can receive scores of “did not meet grade level.” “approaches grade level,” “meets grade level,” or “masters grade level” for each subject. Students who score “approaches grade level” and above pass the test. Those who score “meets grade level” or above are considered proficient, as previously reported by Community Impact.
Compared to spring 2024 results, SMCISD students showed improvements in subjects such as 3rd and 4th grade math, 5th and 8th grade science, and high school biology end-of-course assessments.
Other subjects, such as 5th, 6th and 8th grade math and 7th grade reading showed declined results.
Subjects such as 4th and 6th grade reading and high school Algebra I showed no change.
For example, only 49% of 6th grade math students met “approaches grade level,” which is below the 72% state average.
The district’s third grade Spanish math students, seventh grade math students and high school U.S. history students scored above the state’s average “approaches grade level” rates, according to STAAR data.
However, the district did see more gains in students approaching grade level compared to statewide gains, despite scoring below overall.
Zooming out
Texas elementary students saw gains in reading, while middle school performance remained stable and high schoolers showed small declines, as previously reported by Community Impact.
Statewide, about 54% students grades third through eighth and at high school level met grade level or above in reading and language arts, according to STAAR data. About 43% met grade level or above in math.
However, despite progress in some subjects, state officials are hoping to see bigger strides in improvements.
“With [reading and language arts] scores now surpassing pre-pandemic levels, we are seeing meaningful signs of academic recovery and progress,” TEA Commissioner Mike Morath said in a June 17 news release. “While this year also saw some improvements in math, clearly more work is needed.”
Learn more
Families can access their children’s STAAR results at www.texasassessment.gov.
For more statewide data, view the Texas Education Agency’s 2025 STAAR Results report here and state reporting from Community Impact.
For information on how other local school districts performed, visit www.communityimpact.com or subscribe to local newsletters.
Hannah Norton contributed to this reporting.
