Indiana's 3rd grade reading scores reach pre-pandemic levels in latest IREAD assessment

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Indiana is celebrating a major milestone in early childhood education.

The state's third grade literacy rates are on the rise for the fourth year in a row and have returned to pre-pandemic levels, the Indiana Department of Education said in a news release Tuesday.

According to the results from the 2024-25 Indiana Reading Evaluation and Determination (IREAD) assessment, literacy rates rose by nearly five percentage points—the largest single-year increase since the test began in 2013. The state education department said the last record for the largest year-over-year increase was set last year, and was less than 1%.

That means 87.3% of third graders—about 73,500 students—are now reading at grade level. That's about a 5% increase from last year's results, which were 82.5%.

"Indiana has made extraordinary progress from where we began just a few years ago, when nearly one in five Indiana third graders could not read, to today when literacy rates have increased," Dr. Katie Jenner, Indiana's secretary of education, said in Tuesday's news release.

Indiana aims to have 95% of third graders reading proficiently by 2027.

“From 2024 to 2025, Indiana’s literacy rate jumped by nearly five percentage points, surpassing the record set the previous year eight times over," Gov. Mike Braun said in the news release. "The number of Indiana students learning to read is growing at an unprecedented pace and is yet another example of how we are leading the nation in education."

Since IREAD's inception, Indiana's literacy rates have declined every year, with the exception of a 0.2 percentage point increase from 2014-15.

"The (COVID) pandemic exacerbated this literacy crisis, and in response, Indiana has made historic investments aimed at helping more students learn to read," officials at the Indiana Department of Education said. "With the nearly five percentage point jump in 2025, Indiana's third grade literacy rates are now back to pre-pandemic levels."

The department said literacy rates increased for all student populations for the first time ever, providing the following data:

Literacy rates for Black students, students in special education, and students receiving free/reduced price meals have increased for four consecutive years.
- Black students:
  - 7.5 percentage point increase from 2024 to 2025
  - 14.1 percentage point increase from 2021 to 2025
- Students in special education:
  - 7.5 percentage point increase from 2024 to 2025
  - 12.2 percentage point increase from 2021 to 2025
- Students receiving free/reduced price meals:
  - 6.6 percentage point increase from 2024 to 2025
  - 10.0 percentage point increase from 2021 to 2025
Literacy rates for Hispanic students and English learners increased in 2025 (7.5 and 7.2 percentage points respectively) following decreases in 2024.
Over 450 Indiana elementary schools hit the 95% reading goal, an increase of an additional nearly 180 elementary schools in just one year.

Starting this year, all second grade students in the state participated in the assessment. Of those students, education officials said 68% passed or "are on track to pass" by the time they leave the third grade. Of the second grade students who took the assessment in 2024 and achieved "On-Track," more than 96% passed the 2025 assessment.

Education officials said providing the assessment early helps educators "identify students needing interventions to master foundational reading skills, allowing more than 65% of second graders who were identified as At-Risk in 2024 to pass in 2025."

To look at the data, click here.

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