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High school students in Denton ISD improved their State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness scores in all subjects but one for the 2026 test over their 2025 scores, STAAR results show.
Grades 3-8 met the state pass rate for reading in some grade levels, and no grade levels matched the state passing rate in math, according to the results.
Zooming in
High school students were tested on the following subjects:
In Algebra I, 78% of Denton ISD students passed the test in spring of 2026, up from 75% in spring of 2025. English I scores also improved by five percentage points over 2025, going from a 66% pass rate in 2025 to 71% in 2026.
The passing rate for Biology and English II both went up one percentage point between the school years, and U.S. History went down by one percentage point from 93% in 2025 to 92% in 2026.
While Denton ISD’s students showed improvement year over year, the improvement met the state's pass rate in only one subject.
For grades 3-8, students were tested on the following subjects:
Fourth and fifth grade scores improved in math between 2025 and 2026, though all tested grade levels had lower pass rates than the state in math.
For the reading test, DISD students for grades 5, 7 and 8 matched the statewide passing rate for the STAAR test. Grades 3, 4 and 6 saw a smaller number of students pass the reading test.
Eighth grade is the only grade in this age group that takes the social studies test. Statewide, 57% of eighth graders passed the test while 54% of DISD students passed the test.
Why it matters
STAAR scores make up 40% of the student achievement metric in calculating a high school's accountability score, according to the Texas Education Agency’s Accountability Manual.
The STAAR scores make up 100% of the student achievement metric for elementary and middle schools, according to the TEA.
State law requires students who do not pass the STAAR exam to receive accelerated instruction, which can include between 15-30 hours of instruction over the summer or during the school year, according to TEA’s website.
What parents should know
Parents can view their child’s individual score at texasassessment.gov using a unique access code distributed by their child’s school.
