Grade-Level Retention Reports

The Accountability Research Unit in the Division of Research and Analysis publishes annual reports on grade-level retention in Texas public schools. Data for the 2009-10 school year and earlier years are presented in a single annual report. The report presents data on grade-level retention by student characteristic and program participation as well as student retention and promotion data with data on performance of students on the reading and mathematics state assessments. For some years, a supplement to the report presents grade-level retention data at the district level.

Beginning with the 2010-11 school year, the format of the reports on grade-level retention changed. These same data are presented in two separate annual reports, which are published sequentially, as the data become available. The Grade-Level Retention report presents data on grade-level retention by student characteristic and program participation while the Grade-Level Retention and Student Performance report presents data on the performance of retained students on the reading and mathematics state assessments (e.g., STAAR).

In 2019-20, the format of the report on grade-level retention rates was changed from a PDF report to an interactive report.

Texas policy on student promotion and retention decisions has evolved over the past four decades. Documentation describing this history is available. The History of Promotion Policies in Texas report is available below for the 2019-20 through 2022-23 school years. For the 2023-24 school year and beyond, documentation describing retention and promotion policies in Texas can be found in the History of Promotion Policies in Texas page of the interactive report.