A student walks down a hallway as several signs indicating students are taking STAAR exams are displayed at Arnold Elementary School in San Antonio on Thursday, April 2, 2026.
Sam Owens/San Antonio Express-News
This week, thousands of Texas students will begin taking the annual State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness exams.
The tests are administered every spring to track the academic performance of students, teachers and schools. Test results also play a key role in school districts’ state accountability ratings, which can trigger state takeovers and influence where parents choose to enroll their children.
Here’s what to know about the STAAR test this year:
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Who gets tested, and when?
Every student in Texas who is enrolled in traditional public or open-enrollment charter schools must take STAAR exams in grades three through eighth. The state also requires students to take five end-of-course high school exams tied to subjects typically taken in ninth and tenth grades.
The testing window begins Monday across Texas and extends through May 1. Houston ISD begins testing April 9, and make-up tests are taken from June 15-26.
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A fourth grader flips open her STAAR mathematics booklet to go over her answers during class at Heritage Elementary School in San Antonio, Texas, on March 3, 2022. Superintendent Ramirez visited the school as part of his ongoing teacher assessments and mock testing evaluations.
Josie Norris/San Antonio Express-News
What do the results mean for my student?
STAAR results are designed to track whether a student has learned and can apply the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills, which are state curriculum standards for what students should know in a specific subject and grade level.
Students are placed into four categories: masters grade level, meets grade level, approaches grade level and does not meet grade level — which is the only standard considered “not passing.”
Tests can track progress and learning gaps across schools, grades and demographic groups, such as students who are learning English and those receiving special education.
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The tests are also used to measure teacher and school performance. Under HISD’s new teacher evaluation system, teachers are evaluated and compensated, in part based on their students’ STAAR performance. Test scores also play a key role in school districts’ statewide A-F accountability ratings.
What are the stakes for my school?
Next year, four school districts will face new state intervention, largely due to low STAAR scores.
In 2015, Texas lawmakers passed a law requiring the Texas Education Agency to take over an entire school district if one campus earned five or more consecutive years of failing accountability ratings. The law was adjusted in 2017, allowing districts to partner with charter networks or nonprofits, giving them a last-ditch way to turn around schools and avoid a takeover.
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The TEA took over Houston ISD — the state’s largest district — in 2023 after Wheatley High School earned failing grades for five straight years.
Next year, the TEA will take over four more school districts: Beaumont, Connally, Lake Worth and Fort Worth ISDs. Each district will receive a state-appointed superintendent and board of managers and will have to meet specific exit criteria in order to regain local control.
Several other districts, including Spring and Austin ISDs, are at risk of a state takeover if certain campuses don’t improve their STAAR scores this spring.
A sign indicating students are taking STAAR exams is displayed in a hallway at Arnold Elementary School in San Antonio on Thursday, April 2, 2026.
Sam Owens/San Antonio Express-News
When will I see my child’s results?
Results are typically released in mid-June. Parents can access their student’s individual results on the Texas Assessment portal, while their school’s results and A-F ratings are available at the TX Schools website.
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This is one of the last years for the STAAR exam. Starting in the 2027-28 school year, the state will replace the STAAR with a series of shorter tests taken three times per year. Results will be required to be released within 48 hours after a testing window ends.
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Does my student have to take the STAAR?
Some students — such as new immigrant students and those with significant learning disabilities — are exempt from the STAAR or may take an alternate exam.
Some families have chosen to opt out of the STAAR altogether. The Texas Education Agency maintains that parents cannot legally opt out of STAAR assessments. However, a relatively small but vocal group of parents have used part of the Texas education code to opt out of state-mandated testing. The law allows children to be removed from a class temporarily if it conflicts with a parent’s religious or moral beliefs, so long as they give a written notice to their school ahead of time.