HISD reports 2026 STAAR gains as new autonomy framework begins

Houston ISD is reporting broad gains on 2026 STAAR exams as a new policy begins tying campus autonomy more closely to sustained performance and achievement gaps.

As of August 2, 2026, those results remain HISD-reported assessment comparisons, not final Texas Education Agency accountability ratings. TEA‘s scheduled August releases will add preliminary state accountability information, but the final 2026 ratings were not yet available.

What HISD reported

HISD said 10 of the 12 third- through eighth-grade math and reading tests met or exceeded the state average this year. The district also said the percentage of students meeting grade-level standards increased from 2023 on every released test except seventh-grade math.

HISD reported average gains of 10.3 percentage points in reading and 7.7 points in math from 2023 to 2026 for grades 3 through 8. The district highlighted especially strong growth in several middle-school subjects, including sixth-grade reading and math.

These figures describe STAAR assessment performance as reported by HISD. They are not the same as a campus or district A-F accountability rating.

NES campuses posted larger reported gains

HISD separately compared campuses in its New Education System, or NES, with non-NES campuses. Between spring 2023 and spring 2026, the district said non-NES campuses averaged about a 4-point increase in the percentage of students meeting grade-level standards across math and reading tests.

NES campuses averaged about a 15-point increase, according to HISD. That is a district-reported comparison, not proof that the NES model alone caused the difference. Results can vary among individual campuses, subjects, student groups and implementation conditions.

HISD describes the NES model as including centralized curriculum and instructional practices, additional coaching, increased teacher support and other campus-level resources. Those are district descriptions of the model and do not replace independent state accountability measures.

What changed July 1

HISD’s Earned Autonomy Framework took effect July 1, 2026. The framework shifts autonomy decisions away from primarily single-year determinations and toward sustained, multi-year performance standards.

The framework also incorporates achievement-gap measures into eligibility criteria. For example, higher autonomy levels require campuses to meet specified performance standards over multiple accountability cycles and address gaps among student groups. Some autonomy levels also require Board-approved performance agreements.

That means the 2026 assessment results may become part of a longer performance record, but they are not the completed outcome of the framework. Future campus decisions will depend on performance across accountability cycles and on whether achievement gaps meet the framework’s requirements.

Why the TEA releases matter

TEA’s 2026 performance-reporting calendar scheduled preliminary accountability reports for August 12 in the agency’s secure system and public preliminary reports, data tables and downloads for August 14. The calendar also lists an appeal window beginning August 12.

Those releases matter because they will place Houston campuses in the state’s accountability system, using state-defined ratings and related measures. They should be read as a separate reporting stage from HISD’s comparison of STAAR results with state averages.

As of August 2, final independent accountability verification was not yet available. TEA’s calendar listed final 2026 accountability ratings for December, with the exact date to be determined.

What Houston families should watch

Families comparing schools should look at the TEA information for the specific campus, not only HISD’s districtwide averages. The state data may add context about individual campus ratings, student-group performance and how each campus fits the measures used for accountability.

The current evidence points to improvement across most of the covered HISD grades 3 through 8 math and reading exams, with larger average gains reported at NES campuses. The next milestones are the preliminary TEA reports scheduled for August 12 and August 14. Those reports will help show how the district’s assessment results fit into the state’s accountability picture, while final ratings will come later.

Sources

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