Houston ISD’s post-pandemic academic rebound is outpacing many school districts nationwide, according to a new Stanford University and Harvard University analysis that found the district ranked among the nation’s top performers for growth in math and reading between 2022 and 2025.
The school district serves more than 168,000 students across more than 270 campuses.
The report by the two universities uses data from the National Center for Education Statistics and the Education Data Center.
It analyzed standardized testing trends for grades 3 through 8, and found that HISD test scores have been changing at a rate of +0.12 levels since 2022, almost at the same levels as Fort Worth, Dallas, North East, Arlington, and Spring Branch ISDs. All these school districts are similar to HISD in terms of socioeconomic status, demographics, and size.
“While challenges remain and overall achievement levels continue to require improvement, the report shows Houston ISD students are making academic gains at rates that exceed many comparable districts,” HISD said in a written statement.
HISD added that it “remains focused on accelerating student achievement, strengthening literacy and math instruction, and ensuring every student graduates prepared for success in college, career, and life.”
Per the report, HISD also showed learning gains compared to state averages and peer districts, but lagged in learning rates, declining by 0.06 grade levels since 2022.
“While challenges remain and overall achievement levels continue to require improvement, the report shows Houston ISD students are making academic gains at rates that exceed many comparable districts.”
Houston ISD via a statement
HISD students learned at an average of 0.92 grade levels, compared with 0.79 among similar districts and 0.86 statewide.
At the same time, the new research suggests that relationship-based student supports, including programs widely used in Houston schools, may be helping vulnerable students recover academically and stay on track.
The report’s findings come as the school district continues to face scrutiny from a state-appointed superintendent and a board of managers over its reforms. HISD, like several other Texas school districts, is facing declining student enrollment.
According to the report, HISD ranked in the 97th percentile for Math growth and 89th percentile for Reading growth between 2022 and 2025.
Student academic performance by race/ethnicity
The largest growth in the school district is among student groups that have historically faced disparities in academic growth.
Nationally, Black and white students in HISD ranked in the 99th percentile for Math growth, Hispanic students in the 98th percentile, and Asian students in the 12th percentile.
Low-income students ranked in the 96th percentile for Math growth, suggesting that gains were particularly pronounced among populations disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
In reading, Black and Hispanic students both ranked in the 93rd percentile.
Distinction in growth
Despite the strong momentum, HISD’s average academic performance remains 0.87 grade levels below the national benchmark set in 2019.
It is, however, slightly ahead of comparable districts that averaged 0.94 grade levels below the national performance.
Texas, overall, performed better, averaging 0.51 grade levels below the benchmark.
The chronic absenteeism problem
The Stanford-Harvard report found that chronic absenteeism, defined as the proportion of students absent 10% or more of the school year, remains a significant barrier in HISD.
It rose significantly in the post-pandemic period.
Between 2017 and 2019, an average of 13.4% of HISD students were chronically absent.
This number increased to 23.4% between 2022 and 2025, a 10-percentage point jump roughly in line with statewide and peer district trends.
Per the data, HISD students are learning at a comparable pace to peers nationwide, and historically underserved groups are making gains too, even as the school district grapples with achievement gaps and attendance challenges that predate the pandemic.
