This spring, thousands of local students sat for Texas standardized tests measuring their grasp of grade-level content and their readiness for the next grade level or course.
The State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness are a test of student knowledge, but also of how well schools and school districts are performing. School accountability ratings are based in large part on STAAR data.
The state touted gains in high school-level end-of-course exams this spring. For younger students, results were more mixed.
In Corpus Christi, results followed a similar pattern.
But it somewhat depends on which data point is the focus. The state measures performance through four categories: did not meet, approaches, meets and masters grade level. A school might increase the portion of students who meet grade level while also seeing the number of students who don’t meet grade level rise.
For reading language arts, the percentage of students statewide who scored in the “meets” grade level category stayed steady for fourth through sixth graders, decreased slightly for third grade and increased for seventh and eighth graders.
But if you look instead at the percentage of students statewide who didn’t meet grade level expectations, you see increases for third, fourth and sixth grades and decreases for fifth, seventh and eighth grades.
The percentage of Texas third, fourth and fifth graders who did not meet grade level expectations in reading increased from 21% to 23% between spring 2025 testers and spring 2026 testers.
For the Coastal Bend region, in this article referring to the area of Education Service Center Region 2, the percent of third through fifth grade testers not meeting grade level was 23%.
For the Corpus Christi Independent School District, that figure was 22% for third, fourth and fifth grades.
But performance varies across campuses.
How elementary schools in Corpus Christi ISD compare
Nearly all students at Windsor Park Elementary School, a gifted and talented magnet school, scored in the meets or above category, with large portions in the masters category.
Other Corpus Christi ISD schools that surpassed state and regional averages include Barnes, Club Estates, Creekside, Dawson, Webb, Jones, Metro, Mireles and Smith elementary schools. At each of these campuses, fewer than 20% of students tested did not meet grade level in reading this spring.
Corpus Christi ISD schools that performed worse than the state or region when considering the percent of students not meeting grade level include Allen, Cullen Place, Fannin, Garcia, Gibson, Berlanga, Oak Park, Schanen Estates, Shaw and Travis elementary schools. More than 30% of students at each of those schools did not meet grade level this spring in reading.
Fannin Elementary School in particular saw a drop in performance. Last year, 30% of third through fifth grade reading testers didn’t meet grade level. That rose to 39% this spring.
Campuses that managed to push a higher percentage of students into the “approaches and above” category between spring 2025 and spring 2026 include Zavala, Travis and Moore elementary schools.
Outside of Corpus Christi ISD in the broader metro area, the London Independent School District saw the fewest elementary and middle school students score in the “did not meet” category in both math and reading.
Looking at data since 2023 shows ups and downs for most Corpus Christi districts.
How do math and reading results compare?
Across the board, elementary and middle school math results appear worse than reading results.
Corpus Christi ISD schools with swings in math include Barnes, Club Estates, Calk-Wilson, Fannin, Dawson, Garcia, Kostoryz, Los Encinos and Menger elementary schools, where the percent of students who did not meet grade level grew.
Schools showing progress in math include Zavala, Travis, Smith, Shaw, Sanders, Gibson and Jones.
Travis Elementary School in particular was able to bring the percentage of students in third through fifth grades who did not meet grade level down from 49% to 37%.
At the middle school level, most Corpus Christi ISD middle schools showed improvements. However, the percentage of students not meeting grade level in math is still higher than state or regional averages at Cunningham, Driscoll, Haas, Hamlin and Martin middle schools this spring.
Throughout this article, data is based on students who took the assessment for the corresponding exam, not necessarily reflecting their actual grade level. Some seventh graders in advanced math classes might take the eighth grade exam.
“The 2026 results demonstrate both the progress Texas students are making and the work that remains ahead of us,” Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath said in a news release. “We are encouraged by continued gains in mathematics, especially with the growing number of students participating and succeeding in advanced mathematics courses. The gains in middle school reading are also notable, as it may be associated with the statewide ban on the use of cell phones in schools.”
What about high school scores?
High school is where test data shows some of the most positive results.
In Corpus Christi ISD, the percentage of students who didn’t meet grade level in algebra, biology and English I dropped noticeably at each of the district’s traditional high schools. U.S. history results remined more stable, except for an improvement at Moody High School.
In a June 17 news release, Corpus Christi ISD characterized results as strong.
“We are so proud to see our students making significant, academic gains,” Superintendent Roland Hernandez said in the release. “Along with our school board, I commend our teachers, campus teams and district staff who collaborated every step of the way to provide an exemplary public education for the benefit of all students.”
According to the release, the district outperformed the state and region in fourth, fifth and seventh grade math and fifth grade reading and surpassed “several large urban districts” in math and reading.
The state is phasing out STAAR.
Starting in 2027-28, assessments for third through eighth grades will be replaced with shorter beginning-, middle- and end-of-year assessments. Students will no longer take an English II end-of-course exam.
Olivia Garrett reports on education and community news in South Texas. Contact her at olivia.garrett@caller.com.
This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: See how many Corpus Christi students did not meet grade level in STAAR
Reporting by Olivia Garrett, Corpus Christi Caller Times / Corpus Christi Caller Times
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By Olivia Garrett, Corpus Christi Caller Times | USA TODAY Network
