STAAR Grades 3-8 Results Reveal Record High Reading Scores; Math Scores Increase But Recovery Is Still Slow.

STAAR English Results

The Texas Education Agency released today the 2025 results from the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) Grades 3-8 exams.

AUSTIN, TX, UNITED STATES, June 17, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The Texas Education Agency released today the 2025 results from the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) Grades 3-8 exams. The annual assessments provide a comprehensive look at how students are performing in key subjects at each grade level. These results reveal growth in academic outcomes across most grades in math, reading language arts, and science but for math and science, scores are still down from pre-pandemic levels.

Key takeaways include:

* Reading language arts reached record highs with 53% of students on grade level across grades 3-8. Scores increased for 3rd, 4th, 5th and 8th grade, with 5th grade reaching a record high of 57% of students on grade level. For 6th and 7th grades, scores did not increase.

* Math performance saw a slight increase of 2 percentage points (from 40% meeting grade level to now 42%) across grades 3-8, but growth and declines varied greatly by grade. Scores improved for 3rd, 4th, 6th and 8th graders, while 5th and 7th grades declined. In all grades, the percentage of students meeting grade level expectations is below 2019 levels, with some grades 10 percentage points lower.

* Science performance increased in both 5th and 8th grades by 3 and 4 percentage points respectively. Only 29% of 5th graders met grade level expectations, 18 percentage points lower than 2019 levels (47% on grade level).

* Social studies performance saw a slight decline, dropping one percentage point, to just 30% of students meeting grade level expectations.

* Across all tested grades, including EOC results, both math and reading language arts saw an improvement, with 43% of students on grade level in math (up 2 points from 2024) and 54% of students on grade level in reading language arts (up 1 point from 2024).

Students take math and reading language arts exams yearly in 3rd through 8th grades, science exams in 5th and 8th grades, and a social studies exam in 8th grade.

At the signing ceremony early this month for House Bill 2, the legislative session’s main school finance bill, Gov. Greg Abbott laid out a bold goal: to make Texas No. 1 in education. Today’s STAAR results for grades 3 through 8 show encouraging progress toward that vision, particularly in reading, where students are gaining ground.

But the data also makes clear how much work remains. While there are signs of growth in math, student performance is still below pre-pandemic levels. These results should guide our next steps, particularly in strengthening the core subjects that are key to long-term student success.

The growth seen in today's scores is an exciting step toward being No. 1 in the nation for education, and we anticipate that the key reforms in HB 2 around teacher quality and investments in early numeracy and literacy will continue to add to this momentum.

While we celebrate this growth, there is still much work to do, especially in math, where just 43% of students are on grade level. These results also tell us to think critically about how we are supporting students in the middle grades to ensure that they are prepared to enter high school with the skills needed to succeed. This session, the state invested in reforms for the early grades and high school, but was relatively silent on targeted middle school reforms and investments.

“Assessments like STAAR are how we understand what’s working for Texas students, and where we must do better,” said Mary Lynn Pruneda, Director of Education and Workforce Policy at Texas 2036. “This data helps ensure that every student, regardless of ZIP code, receives the support they need to thrive in the classroom and beyond. The path to becoming the top education state in the country starts with strong data, targeted instruction and an unwavering commitment to student success.”

“It’s encouraging to see signs of progress in math and reading language arts, and that’s a credit to the hard work of Texas educators and the steps our state has taken to support students,” said Gabe Grantham, Policy Advisor at Texas 2036. “But we’re still not where we need to be, particularly in math, where too many students remain off track by the time they reach high school and remain far behind pre-pandemic levels. Continued focus and thoughtful investment in the middle grades will be key to sustaining and accelerating this progress.”

The STAAR assessment plays a critical role in Texas’ education system by providing clear, comparable data on student learning across the state. It enables educators, families and policymakers to understand where students are making gains and where additional support is needed.

With a strong statewide assessment program, Texas can make informed decisions that drive continuous improvement, promote equity, and ensure that all students are on a path to long-term success. These results are an essential tool for measuring progress and advancing our shared goal of academic excellence for every Texas student.

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About Texas 2036

Texas 2036 is a nonprofit public policy organization committed to building long-term, data-driven strategies to ensure Texas’ prosperity up to its bicentennial and beyond. Our solutions are nonpartisan, grounded in thorough research and focus on critical issues that seek to improve lives and opportunities for all Texans.

Merrill Davis
Texas 2036
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