Gains seen in Biology, Algebra I for FWISD’s 2025 high school STAAR results
The Fort Worth Independent School District’s latest state test results for high school students who took Algebra I, Biology, English I, English II and U.S. History in the 2024-25 school year showed declines in performance across three out of the five subjects.
The spring End-of-Course, or EOC, results released by the Texas Education Agency on Tuesday, June 10, show secondary students in Fort Worth ISD improved in Biology and Algebra I compared to spring 2024. Biology saw the greatest gains, with 44% of students scoring at or above grade level this year compared to last year’s 36%. Algebra I students meeting this metric improved to 23% this year, an uptick of three percentage points.
Fort Worth ISD’s performance in English I and U.S. History both dipped by one percentage point — 32% are at or above grade level in English I currently, while 55% of students met this metric for U.S. History. English II performance fell from 44% to 40% of students scoring at or above grade level.
The results from the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness, or STAAR, exam encompass the first round of data that school districts, parents and community members will see for the 2024-2025 school year. TEA will release test results for grades 3-8 next week on June 17.
As Fort Worth ISD officials ramp up efforts to turn around the district’s historically stagnant academic performance while declaring literacy as its top priority, the full release of test scores next week could show how effectively those efforts in the spring 2025 semester impacted student performance.
Fort Worth ISD Superintendent Karen Molinar gave a presentation on the high school EOC results on Tuesday evening during a school board meeting, in addition to unofficial test results for grades 3-8. Molinar acknowledged that work needs to be done to improve English I and English II performance, as they show weaker spots in district literacy performance. Molinar said the district will be bringing back its Institute for Learning program to make improvements in high school subjects. The program is centered around principals and assistant principals providing extra support to teachers. A curriculum redesign and the implementation of demonstration classrooms — where teachers can watch their colleagues give lessons to students in real time and learn from their teaching strategies — will address these gaps as well.
“We will continue to work with every student in Fort Worth ISD (to give them) the tools they need to succeed. I am proud of our teachers and students and what they accomplished this year, but we will hit the ground running in August and continue to improve. Every second and every student counts,” Molinar said in a statement.
Fort Worth ISD lags behind state
In a press release, TEA said statewide End-of-Course test results “show modest year-over-year changes,” which mirrored Fort Worth ISD’s. Students statewide also saw improvements in Biology and Algebra I with declines in English I, English II and U.S. History.
But the data shows Fort Worth ISD students are performing below their peers statewide. The widest gap was seen in Algebra I — 47% of Texas students met grade level in the subject compared to 23% of Fort Worth ISD students.
“Texas students and educators continue to work hard to demonstrate academic excellence,” said Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath. “At the same time, we also recognize that too many students are still not where they need to be academically. Using a reliable system of assessments, we can continue making progress on the strategies that are most effective in improving student learning and long-term success.”
There were efforts during Texas’ 2025 legislative session to dismantle the STAAR exam and replace it with three smaller tests that would have been given throughout the year. Lawmakers negotiating the legislation had missed a key deadline and were ultimately unsuccessful in getting the legislation to Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk in time. It passed the Texas House with overwhelming support on May 13.
Critics have argued that the exam creates high-stakes data points that do not adequately measure student performance; proponents say the exam is critical in holding schools and districts accountable while providing them with a road map on where academic improvements need to be made.
Commit Partnership President Miguel Solis said in a statement that the release of the new data provides stakeholders with “a crucial moment to reflect, celebrate growth and think critically about where we need to direct our resources.”
“It’s clear that an intentional effort on the part of both state policymakers and district leaders to rethink our approach to secondary math education is beginning to produce results, and I’m excited to see what else our school systems accomplish as we continue to support them in scaling best practices,” Solis said.
Solis referred to 2023 legislation, Senate Bill 2124, that facilitated the opportunity for more students to get on an advanced math pathway by sixth grade, improving their chances to take Algebra I in eighth grade.
This story was originally published June 10, 2025 at 12:13 PM.
