Overall, Texas’ public schools seem to match up very well when compared to their peers.
Every few years, the National Science Board publishes, among other things, science and engineering indicators for most states. This report does not include reading rankings, nor does it include rankings of students beyond 8th grade. What it does do is rank states by quartile in 4th and 8th grade science and math achievement, and Texas does very well when compared with other states, especially those with high populations.
For example, in 4th & 8th grade math performance, Texas ranked in the 1st and 3rd quartile, respectively. In 4th & 8th grade science performance, Texas ranked in the 2nd quartile for both grades. Illinois beat Texas in only one of the four categories, while New York and California didn’t beat Texas in any category.
Actually, Texas’ scores are impressive considering that the state spends considerably less per pupil than the other three states mentioned.