Students work on a practice end-of-course English test for the STAAR.
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High school students in Dallas ISD and across Texas posted gains on state standardized tests compared with last year, according to STAAR results released Wednesday.
Separately, preliminary numbers show Dallas ISD made progress in reading and math among students in grades three though eight.
The annual State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness end-of-course exams gauge students’ performance in Algebra I, biology, English I, English II and U.S. history.
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Despite the gains across all subject areas, the percentage of students in Dallas ISD and across the state meeting grade level in Algebra I and U.S. history still lags pre-pandemic levels.
Dallas ISD, the state’s second-largest school district, outperformed the state in two subjects — Algebra I and U.S. history. In the three other subjects, the district trailed behind statewide scores.
The biggest gains were in biology. Texas saw a nine-point uptick in the percentage of students meeting grade level in that subject. Dallas ISD saw a 16-point increase.
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Related: Search for your Dallas-area high school and district STAAR scores
State gains in STAAR high school scores
Statewide, the percentage of students scoring on grade level in Algebra I climbed seven points, from 47% last year to 54% this year. In English I, students posted a four-point gain, improving from 51% meeting grade level last year to 55% this year. English II also saw a four-point gain, with 60% meeting grade level this year, up from 56% last year. In U.S. history, students edged up two points, from 68% last year to 70% this year.
The scores also included encouraging results for students who are learning English, economically disadvantaged students and those who are enrolled in special education services. Each of those groups saw gains in the percentage of students scoring on grade level in all five subject areas.
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“These results reflect the hard work of Texas students, educators and families and demonstrate that focused instruction and high expectations continue to produce positive outcomes for students across our state,” Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath said in a statement. “These results may also be reflective of the legislature’s ban on cell phone use in classrooms, so that students are better able to stay focused on their schoolwork while at school.”
Related: This Dallas ISD middle school banned cellphones years before the rest of Texas. Here’s what happened
Wednesday’s results are the first of two batches of STAAR scores to be released this month. Texas Education Agency officials plan to release scores for students in grades three through eight on Tuesday. Parents can view their child’s individual test scores at TexasAssessment.gov.
Preliminary results for exams in grades three through eight suggest Dallas ISD either held steady or gained ground across all grade levels in reading. District leaders released the preliminary numbers as a part of an agenda packet for a board briefing scheduled for 4 p.m. Thursday.
The percentage of third graders testing on grade level in reading climbed by two points, from 43% last year to 45% this year. In 2019, the last round of testing before the pandemic began, just 36% of third graders scored on grade level in reading. School leaders and education researchers say third grade is a critical year for reading because students who can’t read proficiently by then are more likely to struggle in school later on and less likely to graduate on time.
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The percentage of Dallas ISD students testing on grade level in math also grew or held steady in at least five of the six grades tested, according to the preliminary results. The agenda packet included results for all grade levels except 7th grade.
Mary Lynn Pruneda, director of education and workforce policy for the nonprofit advocacy group Texas 2036, said in a statement that Wednesday’s results were a good sign for the direction of the state’s high schools and an indication that more students are ready for life after graduation.
“Grade-level proficiency in foundational subjects like Algebra I and English is more than a snapshot in time,” she said. “It is a direct indicator of long-term workforce readiness and economic opportunity for Texas students.”
Dallas County STAAR results
In Dallas County, the percentage of students meeting grade level across all subjects grew by seven points, according to an analysis by the nonprofit Commit Partnership. The county outpaced the state as a whole, which saw a five-point increase.
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Related: Texas will drop the STAAR test. Here’s what families need to know about what will replace it
Nearly every big district in Dallas County saw at least modest gains in the percentage of students scoring on grade level across all subject areas, according to the Commit analysis. The lone exception was Cedar Hill ISD, which saw a one-point decline.
Miguel Solis, president of Commit Partnership, said in a statement that the growth reflects years of work across all school districts and campuses in the county.
“Through stronger collaboration, a shared commitment to ensuring students have access to rigorous, grade-level instruction throughout their academic journey, and clearer pathways to college and career success, districts are creating more coherent experiences that support student achievement,” he said.
Nationwide, 9-year-olds show progress in reading and math
Nationwide, 9-year-old students made gains over the past three years in reading and math, while academic performance among 13-year-olds was stagnant, according to federal data released Wednesday.
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The National Assessment of Educational Progress’ Long-Term Trend scorecard shows how cohorts of 9- and 13-year-olds performed on reading and math exams dating back to 1971. The results released Wednesday are based on scores from tests taken during the 2024-25 school year.
The scores suggest students in school today are still struggling to catch up to performance levels of students before the pandemic. Among 9-year-olds, reading scores were roughly on par with results from 2020, the last round of exams given before the pandemic. Nine-year-olds lagged pre-pandemic scores in math, although they fared better than test-takers in 2022, the last year the test was administered. This year’s 13-year-olds were essentially flat in both subjects compared to 2022, and lower than those posted in 2020.
Matthew Soldner, acting commissioner for the National Center for Education Statistics, said during a call with journalists that the difference in performance between younger students and older ones may be related to how they experienced the pandemic. The 9-year-olds who took the 2025 test were four years old when the pandemic was declared, and most began elementary school in the 2021-22 school year, when most schools reopened for in-person instruction.
But for the 13-year-olds, the pandemic formed “the backdrop for their elementary school,” Soldner said. Those students were generally in second or third grade when the pandemic began, meaning they should have been learning foundational literacy and numeracy skills in a classroom. Instead, they got that instruction through online learning. Researchers say the shift to online learning, coupled with the broader mental health issues students experienced as a result of the pandemic, had devastating effects for students academically.
The DMN Education Lab deepens the coverage and conversation about urgent education issues critical to the future of North Texas.
The DMN Education Lab is a community-funded journalism initiative, with support from Bobby and Lottye Lyle, Communities Foundation of Texas, The Dallas Foundation, Dallas Regional Chamber, Deedie Rose, Garrett and Cecilia Boone, Judy and Jim Gibbs, The Meadows Foundation, The Murrell Foundation, Ron Steinhart, Solutions Journalism Network, Southern Methodist University, Sydney Smith Hicks, and the University of Texas at Dallas. The Dallas Morning News retains full editorial control of the Education Lab’s journalism.