Houston ISD's New Education System schools, launched under state-appointed Superintendent Mike Miles after the 2023 takeover, posted sharp gains on STAAR end-of-course exams over three years. The rate of students meeting grade level on those tests rose by 30 percentage points at NES campuses since the takeover began, compared to a 6-point increase at non-NES schools in the same district, according to the Houston Chronicle.
The most dramatic gains came in Algebra 1 and biology. NES schools recorded a 43-point increase in Algebra 1 and a 45-point increase in biology since 2023. For the first time in 2026, NES schools surpassed non-NES campuses in Algebra 1, with 64 percent of NES students meeting grade level.
Fewer test-takers, changed populations
Those gains come with a complication. Thousands fewer students sat for certain exams because of policy changes that altered which students took which tests. About 3,500 fewer students took the 7th grade math STAAR in 2026, as many high-performing 7th graders instead took the 8th grade test through a new advanced math pathway. At NES campuses, the number of students taking the biology STAAR dropped by more than 4,000 because many students now take the course a year later.
The advanced math pathway shift stems from Texas Senate Bill 2124, enacted in 2023, which automatically enrolled qualifying elementary students in advanced math courses in middle school. Statewide, the share of 7th graders taking the 8th grade math assessment doubled from 16 percent in 2023 to 32 percent in 2026, according to the Texas Education Agency. The agency reported that 65,418 economically disadvantaged 7th graders took the 8th grade test in 2026, part of a broad push to expand access to Algebra I by 8th grade.
TEA framed the pathway expansion as producing meaningful results. The agency's analysis found that when 7th grade math results are examined by enrolled grade level rather than by the assessment taken, the percentage of students meeting grade-level expectations increased across every grade level, even as more students took advanced courses. TEA did not isolate NES-specific effects in that analysis.
Researchers urge caution
Independent researchers cautioned that the scale of the NES gains warrants scrutiny. Daniel Koretz, a research professor of education at Harvard University who studies testing policies and grade inflation, told the Houston Chronicle that gains of this magnitude are unusual and that officials need to examine how they were produced, noting that such results do not typically occur when testing the same kinds of students. His work focuses on how changes in testing systems can inflate apparent achievement gains.
Toni Templeton, senior research scientist at the University of Houston's Education Research Center, said that double-digit gains over a year or two can be indicative of a policy change rather than individual student-level growth. She did not dispute the gains but urged caution in attributing them solely to improved learning.
NES schools still trail despite faster growth
Despite faster growth, NES schools remain behind non-NES campuses in most subjects. Across all tests, the share of NES students meeting grade level rose 15 percentage points since 2023. Non-NES schools still scored more than 13 points above NES schools on that same measure. The within-district comparison suggests that targeted funding, staffing, and curriculum changes at NES schools may be associated with faster growth, though those campuses started from a much lower baseline.
Spending disparity and exit requirements
HISD allocates an average of $8,459 per student at NES campuses, compared to $6,265 per student at non-NES campuses. The funding gap reflects the district's concentrated investment in the reform model, which includes a scripted curriculum and restructured staffing.
The district operates under a state mandate tied to the takeover. To exit state intervention, HISD must have no D- or F-rated schools, according to state leaders. That benchmark gives the STAAR results direct stakes: the scores feed into campus accountability ratings that will determine whether the district can return to local control.
Separately, Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath attributed possible middle school reading gains partly to the statewide ban on cell phones in schools, suggesting the policy may be associated with improved reading performance. That observation was based on statewide STAAR data and was not specific to NES schools.