TExES STR Pass Rate 2026: What the Data Shows

The Statewide Pass Rate: What 92% Actually Means

The most recent statewide data available for the TExES Science of Teaching Reading (293) shows a 92% best-attempt pass rate for the 2024-2025 reporting period. That number reflects candidates who tested for the first time, so it is a reasonable proxy for how well-prepared test-takers perform when they walk in cold versus when they've studied the actual domain structure of the exam. A 92% pass rate is high in absolute terms, but it doesn't mean the exam is easy - it means most candidates who sit for it have already done the coursework, clinical experience, and targeted review that Texas expects before someone becomes eligible to test.

What the top-line number hides is variability by domain performance. A candidate can pass overall while still struggling badly on the section that carries the most weight. That's why raw pass-rate percentages are only useful if you pair them with an understanding of where points are actually won and lost - which is exactly what the domain breakdown below addresses.

Why Domain 2 Carries Most of the Weight

TExES STR is built from four domains, and they are not weighted evenly. Reading Development: Foundational Skills alone accounts for 43% of the exam - nearly half of everything tested. That single fact should reshape how any candidate allocates study time.

For a full breakdown of what each domain actually tests and how the objectives map to question types, see the TExES STR Exam Domains Guide.

Who Tends to Pass on the First Attempt

TExES STR is required for specified Texas PK-6 and 4-8 certification routes, which means the candidate pool is made up almost entirely of people already deep into an educator preparation program or already working toward a classroom certificate. That's part of why the statewide pass rate sits where it does - this isn't an open-entry exam that anyone can walk into without preparation. State approval to test is required, so by the time you're eligible to register, you've already cleared program-level checkpoints.

That said, "eligible to test" and "ready to pass with margin" are different things. Educator prep programs vary widely in how much explicit foundational-skills instruction they provide, and some candidates arrive at test day with strong comprehension-strategy knowledge but thin phonics and phonemic-awareness preparation - exactly the domain weighted at 43%. If you want a candid look at where the real difficulty lives for typical test-takers, the How Hard Is the TExES STR Exam? guide walks through this in more depth.

Registration, Fees, and Eligibility Before You Even Sit Down

TExES STR is administered by Pearson Evaluation Systems at Pearson VUE test centers on behalf of the Texas Education Agency and SBEC. The exam fee is $136, and you must have state approval to test before you can schedule an appointment - this isn't a self-registration exam where anyone can pay and pick a date. Your educator preparation program or certification pathway controls when that approval is granted.

Once approved, you're scheduling a computer-administered test that includes a headset for one listening item, and your appointment may include unscored field-test questions mixed in with the scored ones - meaning you won't necessarily know which items count toward your 240-point threshold and which don't. That uncertainty is a reason to treat every question with the same level of care rather than trying to guess which ones are "real."

For the full eligibility checklist, program prerequisites, and exact steps to get state approval, see the TExES STR Requirements guide. If you're budgeting for the full certification path - not just the exam fee - the TExES STR Certification Cost breakdown covers the associated expenses. And if you're trying to plan around testing windows and appointment availability, check the TExES STR Exam Dates guide before you request approval.

How the Exam Format Itself Affects Outcomes

The mix of 90 selected-response questions and a single constructed-response item changes how you should think about pass-rate data. Almost all of your scaled score comes from the selected-response section, which means broad, accurate content knowledge across all four domains matters more than writing polish. But the constructed-response question isn't negligible - it forces you to apply Domain 4 (Analysis and Response) skills in a written format, analyzing a scenario and justifying an instructional decision with evidence.

Because the passing threshold is a single scaled score of 240 built from both item types, a shaky performance on the constructed-response item can still be offset by strong selected-response results, and vice versa. Understanding exactly how the scaled score is calculated - and what 240 represents in practical terms - is worth a closer look. The TExES STR Passing Score guide breaks down what that number means for your raw performance.

Building a Domain-Weighted Study Plan

Given that Reading Development: Foundational Skills is worth more than three times the weight of Reading Pedagogy, your study calendar should not treat all four domains equally. A domain-weighted schedule concentrates early, repeated review on Domain 2, layers in Domain 3 next, and treats Domain 1 and Domain 4 as focused, shorter review blocks closer to test day.

This kind of weighted approach is covered in more depth in the TExES STR Study Guide, which walks through pacing strategies for candidates working around student-teaching schedules. If you want a fast-reference version of core facts to keep handy during final review, the TExES STR Cheat Sheet condenses the must-know points into one page. You can also run realistic, timed practice sessions through our TExES STR practice test platform to get comfortable with the selected-response and constructed-response mix before test day.

What Happens After You Pass

Passing TExES STR at or above the 240 scaled score supports specified Texas PK-6 and 4-8 certification routes - it's a required step, not the final one, in becoming a classroom teacher of record in those grade bands. Once you hold a standard Texas classroom-teacher certificate, it's valid for five years and renews with 150 hours of continuing professional education (CPE), so the reading-instruction knowledge tested on STR continues to matter well past exam day.

For candidates weighing whether the credential is worth the time and cost relative to career outcomes, the Is TExES STR Certification Worth It? ROI analysis lays out the tradeoffs in more detail. And if you're mapping out how this credential fits into hiring and long-term compensation, the TExES STR Salary Guide and TExES STR Jobs resources cover what districts look for once you're certified.

If any of the terminology around this credential still feels unfamiliar - what the acronym stands for, how it differs from other certification steps, or what "STR" even refers to in the Texas system - the What Is TExES STR? and TExES STR Meaning explainers are good starting points before you dive into pass-rate specifics. You can also explore the main practice platform to see sample items across all four domains before committing to a full study plan.

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