The STAAR test, short for State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness, is the state exam that every student in a Texas public or open-enrollment charter school takes at set grade levels and in five high school courses. It measures whether a student has learned the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills curriculum for their grade or subject.1Texas Education Agency. State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) Since 2023, a STAAR score by itself can no longer hold a student back a grade, but students who don’t pass receive required tutoring. High school students still have to pass five End-of-Course exams to earn a diploma, with a committee review available for those who fall short on one or two.
Who Takes STAAR and in What Subjects
Testing is set by Texas Education Code Section 39.023.2State of Texas. Texas Education Code EDUC 39.023 Students in grades 3 through 8 take STAAR every year, with more subjects added as they move up:
- Grades 3–8: reading language arts and mathematics every year.
- Grade 5: science is added.
- Grade 8: science and social studies are added.
High school students don’t take grade-level STAAR tests. Instead, they take End-of-Course (EOC) exams in five specific courses: Algebra I, English I, English II, Biology, and U.S. History. Each EOC is taken as close as possible to the end of the corresponding course.3Texas Education Agency. Texas Assessment Program Frequently Asked Questions A student who takes Algebra I in eighth grade takes the Algebra I EOC that year rather than waiting until high school.
STAAR has been administered primarily online since the 2022–2023 school year, and the redesigned test includes question types beyond traditional multiple choice, such as items where students select more than one answer, classify statements in a table, or write an extended written response. At least 25 percent of questions on each test are non-multiple-choice.4Texas Education Agency. New Question Types Scoring and Reporting Guide – RLA Some of these items allow partial credit.
What the Four Score Levels Mean
Every STAAR result falls into one of four categories:5Texas Education Agency. STAAR Performance Standards
- Masters Grade Level: the student is expected to succeed in the next grade or course with little or no help, and can apply skills in unfamiliar situations.
- Meets Grade Level: the student has a high likelihood of success going forward but may need some short-term, targeted support.
- Approaches Grade Level: the student has met the minimum passing threshold but will likely need ongoing support.
- Did Not Meet Grade Level: the student has not shown sufficient understanding of the material, which triggers mandatory accelerated instruction.
Approaches Grade Level is the passing line. For high schoolers, that’s the score a student needs on each EOC to graduate. For grades 3–8, the gap between Approaches and Did Not Meet mostly determines what kind of tutoring the student receives afterward.
What Happens If a Student Doesn’t Pass
When a student in grades 3–8 or a high school EOC test-taker scores below Approaches Grade Level, the school district is required to provide accelerated instruction in that subject during the following summer or school year. This isn’t optional for the district or the family.6State of Texas. Texas Education Code EDUC 28.0211 – Accelerated Instruction
How much tutoring depends on how far below passing the student scored:
- At least 15 hours for most students who score Did Not Meet Grade Level.
- At least 30 hours for students in the lower band of Did Not Meet, as defined by the commissioner, or for any student who fails the same subject in consecutive years.7Texas Education Agency. HB 1416 Accelerated Instruction One-Pager
During the school year, the sessions have to happen at least once a week unless a holiday or short week gets in the way. The default is a 4-to-1 student-to-tutor ratio, though districts using TEA-approved computer-based tutoring products can waive that ratio.8Texas Education Agency. Accelerated Instruction HB 1416 Ratio Waiver List for the 2025-2026 School Year One protection is written into the law: districts can’t pull a student out of regular classes or recess to deliver accelerated instruction. It happens before school, after school, in non-instructional time, or over the summer.6State of Texas. Texas Education Code EDUC 28.0211 – Accelerated Instruction
No More Automatic Grade Retention
Before 2023, students in grades 5 and 8 who failed STAAR reading or math could be held back a grade unless a grade placement committee stepped in. House Bill 1416 ended that automatic retention rule. A STAAR score by itself can no longer decide whether a student advances or repeats. Test administrators are now required to read students a script stating that the test can’t be used as part of their class grade or to determine whether they pass or fail the year.9Texas Education Agency. 2025-2026 STAAR Test Administrator Manual Promotion is decided by the school based on the full picture of a student’s work.
Graduation Rules for High School Students
A Texas public high school student cannot receive a diploma until they have performed satisfactorily on all five EOC exams: Algebra I, English I, English II, Biology, and U.S. History.10State of Texas. Texas Education Code EDUC 39.025 – Secondary-Level Performance Required Satisfactorily means at least Approaches Grade Level. A student who doesn’t pass has to retake the exam at the next available testing window, and EOCs are offered three times a year (December, spring, and June).
There is no cap on retakes. A student who fails Biology as a sophomore can try again in June, then December, then the following spring, on and on. The school isn’t required to re-enroll the student in the course; the exam is separate from the class grade.
Individual Graduation Committees
A student who has taken but not passed one or two EOC exams doesn’t have to keep retaking indefinitely. Once the student reaches 11th grade, an Individual Graduation Committee (IGC) can review the case and clear a path to graduation.11State of Texas. Texas Education Code EDUC 28.0258 A student who has failed three or more EOC exams doesn’t qualify for the IGC route.12Legal Information Institute. 19 Texas Administrative Code 74.1025 – Individual Graduation Committee Review
The committee is made up of the school principal or a designee, the teacher of each course where the student failed the EOC, the department chair or lead teacher supervising that teacher, and a parent, designated advocate, or the student themselves if they’re 18 or older.13Texas Education Agency. IGC Guidance Document The IGC doesn’t hand out diplomas automatically. It reviews the student’s course grades, EOC scores, attendance record, remediation hours, and whether they’ve hit any college-readiness benchmark such as passing a dual-credit course, scoring at the advanced-high level on TELPAS, or meeting a Texas Success Initiative benchmark.11State of Texas. Texas Education Code EDUC 28.0258 The committee may also require the student to complete a project or a college-preparatory course before granting graduation.
How to See Your Child’s Scores
Parents can view STAAR results through TEA’s Family Portal at TexasAssessment.gov, and some districts also enable access through their own parent portal.14Texas Education Agency. Spring 2025 STAAR Information Either way, you need a unique access code, which the school provides.
Scores don’t come back right away. For the 2025–2026 school year, spring EOC results are scheduled to reach families by June 10, 2026, and grades 3–8 results by June 16, 2026.15Texas Education Agency. Reporting for the Texas Assessment Program 2025-2026 School Year December EOC results post by late January, and June EOC results by the end of July. Spring test-takers typically wait about two months.
Can Parents Opt a Child Out?
Texas law does not allow parents to opt a child out of STAAR. Texas Education Code Section 26.010 lets parents temporarily remove a child from a class or activity that conflicts with religious or moral beliefs, but the statute specifically excludes standardized testing from that right.16State of Texas. Texas Education Code EDUC 26.010 – Exemption From Instruction If a student refuses to participate or leaves questions blank, the test is still submitted for scoring.9Texas Education Agency. 2025-2026 STAAR Test Administrator Manual
The direct consequences to a student in grades 3–8 are limited, because STAAR scores can’t affect a class grade or a promotion decision. High school is different: EOCs are graduation requirements, and a student who never takes them cannot earn a standard diploma. Schools also face pressure of their own. Federal law under the Every Student Succeeds Act requires states to factor participation rates below 95 percent into accountability, and schools that miss that mark must develop improvement plans.17U.S. Department of Education. ESSA Accountability, State Plans, and Data Reporting Summary of Final Regulations
Accommodations and the Alternate Test
Students with disabilities or language barriers don’t automatically take a different version of STAAR, but they may qualify for accommodations, and a small group of students takes an entirely different test.
STAAR Alternate 2 is reserved for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities who receive special education services. It’s an individually administered test built on alternate academic standards rather than a simplified STAAR.18Texas Education Agency. STAAR Alternate 2 Eligibility isn’t automatic based on having an IEP; the student’s Admission, Review, and Dismissal (ARD) committee has to determine that strict state criteria are met.
Students who take the regular STAAR may receive accommodations such as text-to-speech, extended time, calculation aids, or bilingual dictionaries. Emergent bilingual students can access linguistic supports so that limited English proficiency doesn’t mask their subject knowledge. Accommodations are documented through the ARD committee for special education students, or the Section 504 committee for students with disabilities who don’t receive special education.
Private School and Homeschool Students
STAAR is mandatory only for students in Texas public schools and open-enrollment charter schools. Private school and homeschool students aren’t required to take it, but they can participate voluntarily.19Texas Education Agency. 2025-2026 Private School Test Administration Information For the secure spring assessments, the private school has to enter into an agreement with TEA, obtain a state-assigned campus number, pay per-student testing costs, follow security protocols, and submit an application by the stated deadline (February 6, 2026, for the current cycle).
As a lighter option, private school and homeschool families can access released forms of STAAR and TELPAS through TEA’s Practice Test Site. Those released tests are free, require no application, and results aren’t reported to TEA, so families can use them as a benchmark without the administrative overhead.