How San Antonio’s Biggest School Districts’ STAAR Test Scores Compare to State Averages

San Antonio, Texas – June 20, 2024

Data released on Friday revealed the math and science scores of Texas students on the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) continue to decline since the pandemic. The Texas Education Agency provides a breakdown of scores by district and campus, which are searchable on their website. We examined the performance of San Antonio’s three largest school districts in comparison to state averages.

Math Scores Comparison

Students in grades 3-8 participated in the math section of the STAAR test. Statewide data shows that 32.5% of students failed to meet the academic standard, 40.6% met or exceeded the grade level standard, and 15.5% mastered it. Here is how the big three San Antonio districts fared:

NEISD: 32.5% failed to meet the standard, 39.8% met or exceeded, and 14.6% mastered.
NISD: 35.8% failed to meet the standard, 35.3% met or exceeded, and 11.2% mastered. Notably, seventh graders had a significant drop in performance.
SAISD: 55.6% failed to meet the standard, 19.5% met or exceeded, and only 5.5% mastered. Seventh graders showed the lowest performance with 74% failing to meet the grade-level standard.

Science Scores Comparison

Statewide, fifth and eighth graders undertook the Science section of the STAAR test. While eighth graders showed better performance than fifth graders, the results varied across districts:

NEISD: 33% of fifth-graders met or exceeded the standard, and 36% failed. In contrast, 50% of eighth-graders met or exceeded the standard, and 25% failed.
NISD: 21% of fifth-graders met or exceeded the standard, and 46% failed. Eighth-grade performance improved with 45% meeting or exceeding the standard and 28% failing.
SAISD: Only 10% of fifth graders met or exceeded the standard, with 66% failing. For eighth graders, 19% met or exceeded the standard, and 58% failed.

Reading Scores Comparison

Students in grades 3-8 tackled the reading portion of the STAAR test. State averages showed that 52.3% met or exceeded the grade level standard, 25.6% mastered it, and 23.3% failed. Here’s how the districts compared:

NEISD: Outperformed the state average with 57% meeting or exceeding the standard, 29.5% mastering it, and 20% failing.
NISD: Slightly below the state average with 51.7% meeting or exceeding the standard, 23.3% mastering it, and 22.8% failing.
SAISD: Had 33.3% of students meeting or exceeding the standard, 12.3% mastering it, and 41% failing.

Social Studies Scores Comparison

The social studies segment of the STAAR test was administered to eighth graders. Statewide, 31% of students met or exceeded the grade-level standard, with 16% mastering the subject, and 43% failing. District performances varied as follows:

NEISD & NISD: Both districts scored above state averages with fewer failures and more students mastering the subject.
SAISD: Students performed significantly poorer than the state average, with only 11% meeting or exceeding grade level standards and 69% failing to meet the standard.

These scores shed light on the academic performance of students in San Antonio’s biggest school districts compared to the state averages. As educators and policymakers analyze these results, efforts to address academic challenges and enhance student achievement are paramount.