The Texas Education Agency released first-year usage and achievement data for Bluebonnet Learning curriculum, reporting upward trends in reading and math among districts that adopted the state-created instructional materials.
During the 2025-26 school year, 619 Texas school districts implemented at least one of Bluebonnet Learning’s three programs districtwide, according to the TEA.
Bluebonnet Learning is a set of State Board of Education-approved instructional materials aligned with the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS). The materials are classified as open education resources, allowing educators and the public to access digital versions for free. Printed versions are also available for school districts to purchase.
To measure achievement changes, TEA compared the percentage of students meeting grade level on relevant spring 2026 State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) tests with results from spring 2025. Districts using Bluebonnet Learning saw greater changes in the percentage of students meeting grade level in reading or math than districts that did not use the materials.
Of the districts using at least one Bluebonnet Learning program, 72 received an “A” rating under the state’s 2025-26 accountability system. Of those, 26 had received a rating below an “A” the previous year.
TEA also highlighted the curriculum’s cost compared to other instructional materials approved by the State Board of Education. Over four years, Bluebonnet Grade 2 math costs $1,350.88 less per classroom than the next comparable approved material, while Grade 2 reading language arts costs $498.48 less.
Bluebonnet Learning was approved by the State Board of Education in 2024 and became available for classroom use during the 2025-26 school year. The materials were developed as part of the state’s effort to provide districts with high-quality instructional resources.
At the time of the curriculum’s approval, Gov. Greg Abbott described Bluebonnet Learning as a step toward returning students to the “basics of education,” while emphasizing that its use by school districts is voluntary.
TEA said it will continue working with districts that experienced gains as well as those that have not yet seen the same results to identify practices that may help improve student achievement as adoption of Bluebonnet Learning continues.
“With insights from year one, we will continue our investments in rigorous curriculum to make Texas number one in public education,” Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath said.
