The Texas Education Agency (TEA) released the Spring 2026 State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) results for students in grades 3 through 8, showing positive gains in math and social studies while reading performance remained mostly flat across the state.
The annual assessments measure performance across multiple foundational subjects to gauge academic progress and recovery. In addition to the statewide aggregate data, individual student score reports have been made available to families online via district portals or TexasAssessment.gov.
According to the June 16 data release, reading language arts performance remained stable or showed slight improvement in almost every grade level, with about half of all tested students (54%) meeting grade-level expectations.
Middle schoolers drove the category’s positive shifts, as eighth-grade reading scores increased by three percentage points from last year to 59%, and seventh-grade results grew by two percentage points. Fourth, fifth, and sixth graders maintained their 2025 reading performance levels, while third-grade reading metrics experienced a minor one-percentage-point dip.
Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath noted that the upward reading trend in the middle school grades could potentially be attributed to the Texas Legislature’s recent statewide classroom cell phone ban, which helped minimize instructional distractions.
In mathematics, 43% of elementary and middle school students met grade-level standards, representing a one-percentage-point increase from the prior year. Fourth graders logged the most significant achievement, surging four percentage points year-over-year.
Meanwhile, eighth-grade social studies metrics ticked up two percentage points to 32% proficiency. The TEA noted that science results for fifth and eighth grades are being held until July 31, 2026, to accommodate a standard-setting process following the implementation of updated Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) curriculum standards.
While Commissioner Morath expressed encouragement over the mathematics improvements and expanding participation in advanced courses, education policy experts emphasized that a considerable amount of work remains.
Mary Lynn Pruneda, Education and Workforce Policy Director for the nonpartisan organization Texas 2036, emphasized the mixed nature of the recovery, noting that while reading mastery continues to track above pre-pandemic baselines, math performance across almost every grade level still lags behind 2019 marks.