Indiana's third grade reading scores passed their pre-pandemic level for the first time. But the state is still far from the goal it set for 2027. On August 11, 2026, state officials released the 2025-26 IREAD results at the State Board of Education's August meeting in Indianapolis. Chalkbeat reported that 88.7 percent of third graders passed the state reading test, up from 87.3 percent in 2019. WFYI reported that the score rose 1.5 points from last year, the fifth straight year of gains. Even so, the rate is 6.3 points below the 95 percent that officials want all students to reach by 2027, Chalkbeat reported. It is also below the test's all-time high of 91.4 percent, set in 2012-13, the test's first year.
Behind the higher rate, thousands of children still struggle. The pass rate covers nearly 72,000 of the more than 81,100 third graders tested, Chalkbeat reported. It also counts students who passed the test in second grade. WFYI reported that 9,194 third graders were still not reading at grade level by the end of third grade. That number lines up with the roughly 9,100 who did not pass. Gov. Mike Braun said, "Five consecutive years of literacy gains show what's possible when we stay focused on getting every Hoosier child on the path to success," according to WFYI.
Results varied by student group. Chalkbeat reported that the pass rate for Black students rose from 76.1 percent in 2025 to over 80 percent in 2026. That is above their 2019 rate of 74.2 percent and 18 points above their 2021 pandemic low of 62 percent. Hispanic students' rate jumped nearly eight points to 76.1 percent. That is still just below their 2019 rate of 78.1 percent, per Chalkbeat. Among students who get free or reduced-price meals, 84.1 percent passed, up from 82.6 percent in 2025. WFYI reported that scores rose for almost every racial group, except American Indian and Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander students.
State officials pointed to recent changes as the reason for the gains. Students now get up to five chances to pass the test in second and third grade, Chalkbeat reported. The state has also required reading training for some elementary teachers and paid for tutoring and coaching. Jenner credited testing in second grade, which helps teachers find struggling readers sooner, WFYI reported. She also credited the state's literacy cadre, which places reading coaches in schools. Chalkbeat reported that second grade pass rates rose from 48 percent in 2025 to 62 percent this year, and that those scores will count toward next year's IREAD results.
What happens to students who do not pass is not yet clear. Last year, 3,040 students repeated third grade after failing the test, out of 84,000 tested, Chalkbeat reported. How many will be held back in 2026-27 is unknown, and the department has not released data on who was retained. WFYI reported that the 2026 results will be used for the first time in the state's new A-to-F school grading formula, after a five-year pause.