Dear Spring Branch ISD Families, Staff and Community Members,

As we begin a new school year, I am excited to share that for the sixth year in a row, Spring 2025 STAAR test results affirm SBISD students have shown academic gains across grade levels districtwide.

The STAAR (State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness) test is used to measure students’ achievement and progress through assessments in grades three through eight in mathematics, reading/language arts, science, and social studies. STAAR End of Course (EOC) assessments are given in Algebra I, Biology, English I, English II, and U.S. History.

Successful STAAR results are measured based on three performance level standards: “approaches grade level or above,” “meets grade level or above” and “masters grade level.”

In SBISD, we consider multiple measures of academic performance. While the STAAR test is not our only measure of success, it is important in determining where our students perform in comparison to the state and region.

Here are some highlights of our district’s Spring 2025 STAAR results:

Highlights of STAAR 3 - 8:

• Overall, the district exceeded the state and region in math, science, and social studies at all three performance levels, and in reading language arts at the Meets and Masters levels by up to 11 points.
• District elementary performance, grades 3 through 5, exceeded the state and region in every subject at the Meets and Masters levels, and in 6 of 7 areas at the Approaches level by up to 14 points.
• In middle school, grades 6 through 8, district performance at the Meets and Masters levels exceeded the state and the region in 7 of 8 areas by up to 15 points.
• District science performance in both 5th and 8th grade and social studies in 8th grade exceeded the state and region in both grades at all performance levels by up to 11 points.

Highlights of End of Course Exams (EOCs)

• Overall, the district exceeded the state and region at all three performance levels in Algebra, Biology and in US History and at the Masters performance level in English I and English II.
• District results exceeded the state and region at Meets and Masters performance levels in English I by up to 5 points.
• It is important to note that over 41% of SBISD students completed Algebra I in middle school, with nearly 2/3 of these students performing at the Masters level (65%).
• More than half to three-quarters of students performed at the Meets level or higher on every EOC test (53% - 76%).

Looking beyond the state assessment, preliminary scores show the growth in student achievement on Advanced Placement (AP)® exams is exceptional. Over three thousand SBISD secondary students took a total of 6,855 AP® exams, with 74% of students earning a qualifying score of 3 or higher, up by a full ten percentage points from 2024. With a score of 3 or higher, students demonstrate a solid understanding of college-level material, with the potential to earn college credit or placement.

Similarly, over 2,100 juniors (91%) districtwide participated in the Spring School Day SAT program. The total mean score for these students was 52 points higher than the state average, and 43 points higher than all students who took the test in the US and abroad. Importantly, our students earned the highest overall average SAT score average our district has seen in many years, if ever.

These strong results affirm our students are Academically Prepared, the first and foremost of our Core Characteristics of a T-2-4 Ready Graduate. With continued focus on literacy, numeracy, students supports, Emergent Bilinguals and Career and Technical Education, we remain committed to ensuring Every Child finds joy in learning, has a learner’s mindset and is motivated and equipped with the knowledge, skills and competencies to succeed in life.

These successes are not only the result of our students’ hard work. They also are the result of the dedicated focus and commitment of our outstanding educators and administrators and every SBISD employee regardless of role. From our bus drivers and custodians to our cafeteria workers and central office staff, every member of the SBISD Family goes above and beyond every day for our 32,600 students. As an additional point of pride, our students and staff sustained academic growth and achievement even considering the difficult budget cuts we made that significantly reduced the instructional supports we were able to provide.

We also know these successes would not be possible without you -- our families, partners and volunteers who put forth so much time, effort, and heart to ensure our students have the supports they need to succeed.

Thank you for the important part you play in supporting Every Child in SBISD. I hope you are as #SBISDProud as I am of our students, staff and all who make SBISD the best place in Houston to live, work, raise a family and educate children. Your #CollectiveGreatness makes all the difference.

Wishing you all a wonderful 2025-26 school year!

Sincerely,

Jennifer Blaine, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools