Legislators commend historic increase in Indiana's third grade literacy rates

Tuesday, September 9, 2025 at 10:28 AM

By Staff report

State Reps. Ethan Manning (R-Logansport) and Heath VanNatter (R-Kokomo) are commending a historic increase in third grade literacy rates for Hoosier students following results from the 2024-2025 Indiana Reading Evaluation and Determination (IREAD) assessment.

Manning said third grade reading scores improved by nearly five percentage points, which is the largest single-year increase since Indiana launched IREAD in 2013. More than 87% of Hoosier third graders demonstrated proficiency in reading, putting Indiana's literacy rate at this grade level back to pre-pandemic levels.

The lawmakers thanked Indiana's education leaders, schools, teachers and families for their dedication to help Indiana students achieve these results.

"Hoosier students have completely turned around these literacy scores, and all of their hard work is paying off," Manning said. "This collective effort from teachers, parents and education leaders has helped our kids get back on track."

VanNatter noted that literacy rates for all student populations also improved.

"Literacy is the foundation for all future learning, and this advancement demonstrates meaningful gains for Hoosier students throughout Indiana," VanNatter said. "Raising proficiency levels statewide is an encouraging indicator that our policies are strengthening outcomes for children."

VanNatter said these IREAD results follow Indiana placing sixth in the country for fourth and eighth grade reading in the 2024 National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) rankings.

Manning said to improve Indiana's literacy rates, the General Assembly passed a law in 2023 implementing science of reading standards, which is evidence-based instruction that increases students' reading competency through phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary development, fluency, oral language skills and comprehension. A law passed in 2024 added screenings for students at risk of falling behind on reading proficiency and providing earlier intervention.

Results from the 2025 IREAD for individual schools and corporations are available on the Indiana Department of Education's website. Click here to learn more about the state's literacy standards.