Following years of emphasis on improving early literacy rates, Indiana saw the largest single-year increase in third-grade reading scores this year, according to results released Wednesday by state education officials.
The 2025 Indiana Reading Evaluation and Determination, or IREAD, assessment results showed 87.3% of Hoosier third-graders demonstrated proficiency on the state exam.
Those results are almost five percentage points higher than in 2024, when 82.5% of students passed the assessment, and the biggest year-to-year bump seen since the IREAD test was first administered in 2013.
Growth was seen among all student groups, with Black and special education students seeing increases of 7.5 percentage points from last year. Hispanic students also saw a 7.5 percentage point increase after a decline in 2024. English language learners had a 7.2 percentage point increase after they saw stagnant scores over the three previous years. Meanwhile, students on free and reduced-price meals had a 6.6 percentage point jump.
This year's results are equal to those reported in 2019, the last year before the COVID-19 pandemic. Before then, literacy scores had been on a gradual decline, with the highest scores seen in 2013, when 91.4% of third-graders passed the IREAD test.
Following the pandemic, results saw a steep decline, dropping to 81.2% in 2021.
In 2023, state legislators approved House Enrolled Act 1558, which required schools to adopt curriculums aligned with the science of reading — an instructional method that emphasizes phonics when teaching children how to read. The state law also mandated elementary teachers licensed after June 2025 earn a new literacy endorsement to prove they're proficient in the science of reading standards.
Since 2021, the state has seen four consecutive years of score increases.
"The pandemic was certainly a wake-up call statewide to we got to tackle the systemic issues and concerns with our students not being able to read," said Anna Shults, chief academic officer for the Indiana Department of Education during Wednesday's State Board of Education meeting.
Education officials touted a few tactics, including a new requirement this year that mandates all second-grade students take the IREAD assessment. For the past three years, schools could opt into administering the test to second graders.
According to the IDOE, 96% of second-grade students who were on track to pass the IREAD last year did so in 2025, while 65% of students who were at-risk of not passing were able to reach proficiency. Students who passed the assessment in second grade did not have to take it in third grade.
The new requirement was part of Senate Enrolled Act 1, passed by state lawmakers in 2024. The bill was broadly meant to address early literacy rates, with students being required to repeat third grade if they did not pass IREAD and did not qualify for an exemption. Students are given up to five opportunities to pass the test, in addition to the option to take summer school and use additional reading supports.
At the time, Democratic lawmakers and educational advocates voiced opposition toward the mandatory retention policy, arguing that holding students back would have harmful social and emotional consequences in addition to placing a strain on school resources.
Some local education officials also expressed concerns over students being retained solely based on a standardized test result.
The number of students who were retained and who qualified for exemptions won't be made publicly available until after Oct. 1, the state's student count day, according to Indiana Secretary of Education Katie Jenner.
State education officials also touted the Indiana Literacy Cadre — a partnership among IDOE, the University of Indianapolis's Center of Excellence in Leadership of Learning and Marian University's Center for Vibrant Schools — which provides early elementary teachers with coaching and support aligned with the science of reading.
According to IDOE, schools that participated in the cadre saw a 7 percentage point increase in IREAD scores, compared to a 3.6 point increase from non-cadre schools. This year, over 560 schools across the state participated in the literacy cadre.
The cadre is among several initiatives funded by a $170 million investment in early literacy by the state of Indiana starting in 2022. A bulk of that amount, $85 million, was contributed by the Lilly Endowment.
"With literacy rates now soaring at a historic pace, this is a time for celebration," Jenner said in a prepared statement. "It is also a time to double down on our commitment to helping even more students learn to read. The data is clear —what we are doing is working— so let's keep at it, ensuring a brighter future for Hoosier students."
Hebron tops NWI Region schools
The Metropolitan School District of Boone Township in Hebron scored the highest on this year's IREAD among school districts in Northwest Indiana, with 98.7% of third graders passing the assessment.
"We are incredibly proud of our third-grade students and their outstanding performance on the IREAD assessment," said Superintendent Jeff Brooks in a statement to The Times. "This achievement is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our amazing teachers, staff and families here at Hebron."
According to Brooks, Hebron Elementary participated in the Indiana Literacy Cadre over the past two years.
Followed by Hebron schools, East Porter County School Corp., and the School Town of Munster tied for the second-highest scores among the Region's traditional public schools at 97.6% passing scores.