The 95% target had not been hit for 33 consecutive weeks, since late last September.
Figures for the week ending 24 May show 95.1% of A&E patients spent four hours or less from arrival to admission, transfer or discharge.
NHS England praised its front-line staff for dealing with high workload demands during a tough winter.
A spokesman said: "These latest figures are testament to the excellent services our front-line staff continue to deliver while coming under sustained pressure."
The improvement comes as the NHS enters the summer period when these pressures tend to ease.
Dr Clifford Mann, president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, said there was no room for complacency.
"There is still pressure on the system, which in our view is operating at full capacity."
He said some A&E units were still not meeting the four-hour target and were stymied by a shortage of hospital beds.
"This exit block must be addressed otherwise the winter of 2015-16 will be hugely challenging," he warned.
Latest figures show targets for waits in A&E are being missed in other parts of the UK.
In Wales, 83% of patients are being seen within four hours. In Scotland, the figure is 92% and in Northern Ireland it is just under 74%.
The NHS in England has met its four-hour A&E waiting-time target for the first time since September.