Here are the Books that Supported This Year’s Double-Digit Reading Growth in HISD

Houston ISD students continued to make gains in reading during the 2025-26 school year, with performance improving across every tested grade in grades 3-8 as well as on the English I and English II End-of-Course exams.

Investments in the Science of Reading, teacher coaching, and state-approved grade-level novels have strengthened literacy instruction across the district, contributing to more students reading at or above grade level.

On the State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness (STAAR) reading tests, third through eighth graders meeting grade level grew by an average 10 percentage points between 2023 and 2026, while high schoolers improved by an average of 12 percentage points. Much of this growth occurred at New Education System (NES) schools, which have historically lagged behind other HISD campuses. 

About the Selection

A key component of that instructional approach is a common, high-quality curriculum used at all NES campuses and many additional HISD schools. For campuses implementing the HISD curriculum, novels are embedded within the scope and sequence of the curriculum and are taught as part of the instructional units throughout the school year.

The district's novel selections were developed through a collaborative review process involving curriculum specialists and educators. Texts were evaluated for alignment to the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), instructional quality, grade-level appropriateness, and their ability to support the knowledge and skills students are expected to master. Where appropriate, the district also considered titles included on the State Board of Education's recommended reading lists.

For most novels included in the curriculum, students are expected to read the complete text over the course of the unit through a combination of classroom instruction and assigned reading outside of class. Teachers support students throughout the reading process with discussion, close reading, and comprehension activities. 

View the full list of novels included in the 2025-26 HISD curriculum here.

Teachers across the district have used these novels to support interdisciplinary learning, as reading is the foundation of success across all subject areas—a connection reflected in academic growth across the board.

Fifth grader Amelia Gamboa Avila analyzed "Don Quixote" through a social studies lens, comparing the reality of 17th-century Spain with the medieval world imagined in the protagonist’s delusions.

“I wanted to help people learn about the past and what actually happened in the 17th century instead of what Don Quixote thinks is happening,” Gamboa Avila said. 

Early Literacy in HISD

The district's focus on literacy begins well before students encounter novels in upper grades.

Among Kindergarteners through second grade, students reading below grade level has reduced from an average of nearly 18 percentage points, according to mid-year Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) tests between the 2023-24 and 2025-26 school year.

Recognizing the strong connection between early literacy and long-term academic success, HISD has set a goal of ensuring all incoming third graders are reading on grade level by 2028. To help achieve this, the district piloted summer reading intensives this year and will launch Kinder Bridge—an optional transitional year between kindergarten and first grade—for students who are not yet reading on grade level beginning in the 2026-27 school year.