SAN ANTONIO – The Texas Education Agency released first-year usage and outcomes data Wednesday for the new curriculum, Bluebonnet Learning, showing districts that adopted the program outperformed peers in reading and math achievement.
During the 2025-2026 school year, 619 districts across the state implemented the instruction materials for the first time. The TEA reports on average, those districts saw “better year-over-year achievement change than non-Bluebonnet districts.”
A greater percentage of those students met grade level on Spring 2026 STAAR assessments compared with Spring 2025 results — an improvement other districts did not see, according to the TEA.
Seventy-two districts using at least one Bluebonnet Learning program during the 2025-2026 school year earned an “A” rating, including 26 that had scored below an “A” the previous year.
“Bluebonnet Learning is an important resource to help our schools focus on the fundamentals of literacy and numeracy,” said Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath. “With insights from year one, we will continue our investments in rigorous curriculum to make Texas number one in public education.”
The TEA says the instructional materials save taxpayers money. Print costs for Bluebonnet are lower than other instructional materials, the agency reports.
“For example, over a four-year period, Bluebonnet Learning Grade 2 math is $1,350.88 less expensive per classroom than the next comparable available material approved by the SBOE (State Board of Education), and Grade 2 RLA is $498.48 less expensive,” a TEA news release states.
San Antonio-area districts opted-in
When Bluebonnet Learning was first approved by the state in 2024, South San Independent School District was the first district in San Antonio to adopt the materials.
The state-endorsed teaching materials grew “controversial” amongst First Amendment advocates who have raised concerns that the curriculum may blur the distinction between educating about religious texts and promoting a specific faith, while potentially enticing financially challenged districts.
South San ISD Superintendent Saul Hinojosa said he worked with a committee to review the curriculum before it was taught in the district’s public schools.
“If there was anything that the committee felt was inappropriate by their standards, they took a vote, and we took their feedback and put it into action,” Hinojosa told KSAT in August.
Among the changes, South San ISD removed or modified several readings from the curriculum because of their focus on religion.
After the first year, South San ISD boosted its TEA accountability rating from a “D” to a “C.” When asked whether that progress is tied to Bluebonnet Learning, Hinojosa didn’t hesitate.
“Absolutely. I mean, your curriculum is a driving force,” Hinojosa said.
San Antonio Independent School District joins South San ISD who adopted the instructional materials at some schools at the beginning of the 2026-2027 school year.
“The Bluebonnet curriculum provides a high-quality, standards-aligned foundation for teaching reading and math and is the curriculum most closely aligned to the STAAR assessment,” a SAISD spokesperson told KSAT in August. “By consistently implementing Bluebonnet throughout the year, we give students the strongest opportunity to demonstrate ongoing growth, build mastery of essential skills, and achieve academic success.”
Bluebonnet designed for ‘transparency,’ TEA says
The TEA says the instructional materials are designed for “total transparency,” with every unit including a take-home letter for parents to know exactly what their children are learning.
“TEA works closely with Texas teachers who use Bluebonnet materials in their classrooms to make improvements based on teacher feedback,” the release states. “In this way, the benefits that one district experiences with Bluebonnet can be more easily spread to others across the state as district adoption of Bluebonnet Learning continues to grow.”
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