Colorado released its 2026 CMAS state test results to the public on August 19, 2026. The results were mixed. Math scores went up in every grade tested. But literacy results moved in different directions by grade, according to the state education department and reporting by Chalkbeat.
The biggest split was in reading. Fourth and fifth graders improved, while sixth, seventh, and eighth graders declined. Fourth grade had the largest reading gain. About 47% of fourth graders met or exceeded expectations in 2026, up from 42% in 2025. Fifth grade rose to about 50% from 48%. Sixth grade went the other way. It fell to 41.6% from 44.2%.
Education Commissioner Susana Cordova gave a possible reason for the middle school drop. She spoke at a press conference, Chalkbeat reported. Colorado has focused a lot on helping young children learn to read, she said. But those methods are not stressed in middle school. She said teacher training for older grades is mostly about teaching literature and nonfiction, not phonics or helping struggling readers catch up.
Math went up across the board, and eighth graders gained the most. The share of eighth graders meeting or exceeding expectations rose to 37.8% in 2026 from 34.7% in 2025, the data shows. Cordova said students had the most ground to make up in math after the pandemic. "For many students, math might have been harder to stick with during the school disruptions of the pandemic," she said.
State officials also asked people to read the numbers with care. Students score in one of five levels. The state counts only those who met or exceeded expectations as on track. But officials said students in the approaching level may still work near grade level. Christina Wirth-Hawkins, the department's chief assessment officer, said students approaching expectations in literacy can read grade-level texts. They may still struggle to show what they understand in writing, which the test also measures. Using the standard count, 40.8% of third graders met or exceeded literacy expectations this past spring. That figure rose to 60.5% when students who approached expectations were added, according to Chalkbeat.
Big gaps between student groups stayed. In math, about 50% of white students in grades 3 through 8 met or exceeded expectations statewide. That compares with 21.6% of Black students and 19.4% of Hispanic students, Chalkbeat reported. Gaps also stayed based on family income, disability status, and whether students are learning English as a second language.
Wirth-Hawkins summed up the results. The story of the scores "is one of progress, but also one of continued work ahead," she said.
Families could see confidential student-level results starting May 27. Districts and schools got data files in May and June to help plan for the 2026-27 school year, the department said. CMAS is given to students in grades 3 through 8. It serves as a benchmark for how well Colorado students are learning.