Austin-Area Schools Post Strong Gains on Spring 2026 STAAR End-of-Course Exams
High school students across Austin and the state of Texas turned in their best standardized test performances in years, according to Spring 2026 STAAR End-of-Course (EOC) results released today by the Texas Education Agency.
The results cover the five EOC assessments — Algebra I, English I, English II, Biology, and U.S. History — and show the percentage of students meeting grade level increased across all subjects and student groups statewide.
Austin ISD mirrored and in some cases exceeded those gains. The biggest improvement for AISD students was in Algebra I, with 52% of students meeting grade level — a 9-point jump from the year before. Biology also surged 8 points, from 63% to 71%, while English I, English II, and U.S. History each rose by 5 points or more.
One bright spot sets Austin apart from the rest of the state: U.S. History is the only subject where AISD students are above the statewide average, with 76% of Austin students meeting grade level compared to 70% of students across Texas.
Statewide, Biology saw the biggest jump — up nine points to 71%, now above its pre-pandemic level of 63%. Algebra I rose seven points to 54%, though it still trails the 62% recorded in 2019. English I and English II both surpassed pre-pandemic performance, while U.S. History improved to 70% but also remains below its pre-COVID mark of 75%.
Equity gaps within AISD remain a challenge. Black and Hispanic students scored significantly below their white peers across subjects, and economically disadvantaged students lagged far behind overall AISD scores — in Algebra I, economically disadvantaged students met grade level at a rate 40 percentage points lower than their non-economically-disadvantaged peers.
Encouragingly, those groups are making progress statewide. Economically disadvantaged students saw the percentage meeting grade level in Algebra I rise by seven points compared to Spring 2025, and emergent bilingual and special education students also saw gains in every EOC subject.
Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath attributed the improvement to sustained instructional focus — and possibly something else. He suggested the legislature’s recent classroom cell phone ban may have contributed to the gains, allowing students to stay more focused during the school day.
While the trajectory is encouraging, math recovery is incomplete. Algebra I scores still sit well below where they were before the pandemic disrupted schooling, a gap that districts like Austin ISD — which is simultaneously navigating a potential $181 million budget deficit — will need to close with limited resources.
Bar chart comparing Austin ISD and Texas statewide STAAR EOC 2026 results, percentage of students meeting grade level, across five subjects.
% of students meeting grade level · Spring 2026 STAAR EOC · Sources: TEA, KUT
District-level data is now available at the Texas Assessment Research Portal. Individual student EOC scores can be accessed via the Austin ISD Parent Portal or at TexasAssessment.gov.
STAAR grades 3–8 results are scheduled for public release on June 16.
Sources:
- Texas Education Agency, TEA Releases Spring 2026 STAAR® End-of-Course Assessment Results, June 10, 2026
- TEA, Spring 2026 STAAR EOC Analysis (PDF)
- KUT Radio, Austin ISD students show steady improvement on STAAR tests, June 10, 2026
- CBS Austin, Spring 2026 STAAR EOC scores rise statewide, June 10, 2026
Austin police released body camera footage Wednesday showing an officer deploy a Taser on a bleeding, shirtless man almost immediately as officers moved to restrain him — a use of force that preceded the man’s death and is now under both criminal and administrative review.
Police identified the man as Josh Ryan Trumble, 32, who died Saturday evening. Officers had responded to calls about a man who was bleeding, behaving erratically, and attempting to enter homes in North Austin. At a Wednesday news conference, the Austin Police Department released body camera footage alongside 911 calls, police radio traffic, and Ring camera recordings.
BODYCAM VIDEO
The subject officers involved in this incident have the following years of service with the Department:
- Officer Justin Wright – 7 years, 8 months
- Officer Kate Hagemeier – 6 years, 3 months
- Officer Carl Chester – 3 years
- Officer Jeremmy Santos Beltre – 2 years, 8 months
- Officer Calvin Fusilier – 6 years, 11 months
- Officer Gabriella Fekete – 7 years, 8 months
- Officer Benjamin Ye – 9 months
Per APD protocol, the officers have been placed on administrative leave. (Austin Police Department)
A Travis County Sheriff’s Office deputy, Dennis Francis Mallinger, has now been indicted on three counts of Official Oppression stemming from an incident back in December.
A Total Wireless employee in Austin is facing a felony charge for allegedly sending a customer’s nudes from her phone to his own while helping her change her network settings. (FOX 7 Austin)
A Travis County man was sentenced in connection with a 2022 homicide investigation.
55-year-old Peter Perius pleaded guilty to tampering with or fabricating physical evidence with the intent to impair a human corpse, which is a second-degree felony. Two enhancements to the charge were abandoned, and a murder charge that Perius previously faced was dismissed due to the Travis County District Attorney’s Office failing to meet the indictment deadline. (KXAN-TV)
CAPITAL AREA CRIME STOPPERS
San Marcos police are asking the public to help identify a man caught on video stealing packages from a front porch last month.
Bexar County authorities seized approximately 189 grams of methamphetamine from inside a toilet during a search warrant execution Monday.
A motorcyclist is dead after a crash with a vehicle early this morning on the US-290 service road in northeast Austin.
The driver of the vehicle remained on scene, and no arrests were made, according to APD.
One person is dead following a head-on collision on Wednesday evening in southwest Travis County.
Bastrop County residents will have a chance to ask questions about three planned data center campuses spanning nearly 1,500 acres in Cedar Creek.
Pflugerville officials provided an update on work at the River Pump Station and on plans to purchase replacement filtration equipment, called membranes, for the Surface Water Treatment Facility.
- Construction on the 42-inch secondary raw waterline continues. It is fully installed at Lake Pflugerville and only the final connection remains at the Colorado River Basin before the 15-mile line is complete.
- Replacement materials for the damaged 30-inch raw waterline are currently en route. Once they arrive, crews will begin digging and complete the replacement work.
- Additional repairs at the River Pump Station may require a brief couple of day shutdown later this summer, however City staff expect minimal impact on Pflugerville water customers.
- The Surface Water Treatment Plant expansion project is on track to be substantially complete by the end of October.
4:00 P.M. UPDATE:
The wading pool at Shipe Pool, 4400 Avenue G, is closed until further notice for repairs.
CapMetro‘s safety data for May is in.
Lake Travis Fire Rescue says they anticipate an increase in calls for hikers experiencing heat exhaustion, dehydration, injury or other heat-related emergencies on trails.
WEATHER
WEDNESDAY’S HIGH / LOW TEMPERATURES
AUSTIN-BERGSTROM INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
CAMP MABRY
5-DAY FORECAST / AUSTIN, TEXAS
Not much happening in the Gulf right now.
To shield Texas consumers from rising energy costs, Gov. Greg Abbott has issued a series of regulatory recommendations targeting the state’s booming data center industry. Released Tuesday for consideration in the 2027 legislative session, the proposals address the massive strain that AI-driven development is placing on the Texas power grid. Abbott’s directive to state regulators emphasizes that expanding data centers must independently fund their infrastructure needs rather than relying on ratepayer subsidies.
Abbott’s opponent in November, Rep. Gina Hinijosa (D), responded:
Rep. James Talarico posted a video criticizing Attorney General Ken Paxton for becoming a multimillionaire in office while opposing overtime pay expansions and amid stagnant wages for many Texans.
Meanwhile, Paxton is calling out his General Election opponent for an apparent change in policy.
LATEST POLL
Talarico is launching his first TV ad of the general election today with a spot in Spanish set to air during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, continuing his push to win over the Latino voters who are expected to be pivotal in Texas’ November midterms. (Texas Tribune)
The Texas Republican Party kicks off its 2026 State Convention today in Houston, bringing together thousands of delegates, party officials, and candidates at the George R. Brown Convention Center for a three-day event running through Saturday.
The biennial gathering — billed as the largest conservative convention in the nation — comes on the heels of a bruising primary season, with party leaders hoping to project unity ahead of November’s midterm elections. On the agenda: electing new party leadership, adopting a platform, and setting legislative priorities that will guide Texas Republicans for the next two years.
During the 2026 Republican Party of Texas State Convention, the party will adopt an official platform, decide who will hold important leadership roles, and set the legislative priorities that will guide Texas Republicans over the next two years. (KUT 90.5)
A convention preview…
In an exclusive interview with CBS News, the parents of Karmelo Anthony, the Texas teenager who was sentenced to 35 years in prison for the murder of a fellow high school athlete, spoke about their son and the trial.
Austin Metcalf‘s father also talked after the sentencing.
Far-right influencer Edward Jacob Lang, who also goes by Jake Lang, was arrested in Frisco, according to arrest documents.
He was booked into the Dallas County Jail Tuesday and is being held on a $1 million bond.
The Texas Rangers need help identifying a woman whose remains were found on a ranch in Refugio County in 1992.
Arguments from either side of the discussion regarding whether lawsuits from Camp Mystic families can move forward in open court were heard Wednesday.
New World screwworm is affecting a part of South Texas currently vacant a member of Congress. Some say that should spur a quick special election.
UT researchers believe they’ve figured out who has been scrambling GPS signals across huge swaths of Europe in recent years. We’ll find out about their discovery and what it might mean.
The World Cup means lots of fans descending upon Texas cities. Environmental scientists will be studying their impact in real-time.
A new film invites all Texans to participate in the ecological recovery of the Guadalupe River after devastating flooding. Filmmaker Ben Masters joins us to talk about “Hope for the Guadalupe.”
And it may be a bit harder to get your hands on a Fredericksburg peach this year. Why that may be a growing trend.
(Episode from June 10, 2026)
“America — love it or leave it.” That’s a bumper sticker slogan that sums up the long-standing tension between patriotism and the exercise of constitutional freedoms. As the nation celebrates America’s 250th birthday we explore where healthy patriotism ends and toxic nationalism begins. We discuss how “America First” could sometimes lead to a slippery slope towards tyranny.
(Episode from June 9, 2026)
Officials are warning of dangerous rip currents along portions of the Texas Gulf Coast that can quickly pull swimmers away from shore.
SPORTS
NBA FINALS: What began as the largest halftime lead ever held by a road team in NBA Finals history ended as the largest comeback in NBA Finals history, as the Knicks stormed back in the second half to secure a 107-106 victory and seized a 3-1 series lead.
Victor Wembanyama missed two crucial free throws ith 1:47 remaining in the game and the Spurs up 104-103.
The Knicks, who have just two titles in their 80-year history and hadn’t even been to the NBA Finals since 1999, have a 3-1 lead and three chances to win the best-of-seven series — starting with Game 5 on Saturday night in San Antonio.
MLB: As we get closer to the All-Star Break, the Texas Rangers seems to be holding their own while trying to get back to the .500 mark and stay in contention in the AL West.
Elias Díaz hit a go-ahead double in the 10th inning as the Texas Rangers defeated the Kansas City Royals 6-4 on Wednesday night. (Associated Press via MSN)
Jose Siri hit a game-winning single in the 10th inning, Mike Trout and Logan O’Hoppe homered, and the Los Angeles Angels beat the Houston Astros 3-2 on Wednesday night. (Associated Press via MSN)
ON THE SCHEDULE
The Astros have the day off.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL: Kickoff times and TV windows have been announced.
FIFA WORLD CUP: The eyes of the sporting world are officially turning to the Lone Star State as the historic 2026 FIFA World Cup gets underway. With the tournament’s opening whistle blowing today in Mexico City, Texas is putting the final touches on its massive dual-city stage.
A record-breaking 48-team field will see its first Texas-based action this Sunday, June 14, triggering a month-long soccer festival across two of the state’s premier venues. Houston Stadium (NRG Stadium) will kick things off by hosting powerhouse Germany against Curaçao, while just three hours north, Dallas Stadium (AT&T Stadium) in Arlington takes center stage as the Netherlands squares off against Japan.
Combined, Houston and Dallas will host a staggering 16 matches throughout the tournament—including a highly anticipated semi-final clash in North Texas. For local fans and international travelers alike, the wait is over: the world’s biggest game has officially arrived in Texas.
Oil Men – Tales From the South Texas Oil Patch
