INDIANAPOLIS (WNDU) – Literacy rates among Indiana’s third-grade students have increased for the fifth consecutive year, according to new data from the Indiana Department of Education.
Results from the 2025-2026 IREAD assessment show 88.7% of Indiana third-graders demonstrated proficient reading skills — an improvement of nearly 1.5 percentage points over the previous school year and the second-largest single-year increase since the assessment began.
Officials said Indiana’s literacy rates have now surpassed pre-pandemic levels.
Gains among student subgroups
The Indiana Department of Education reported significant year-over-year gains among Black and Hispanic students.
Black students saw a 4 percentage point increase from 2025 to 2026 and an 18.1 percentage point increase from 2021 to 2026. At 80.1% proficiency, IDOE says Black students are now within one percentage point of their highest reading levels on record.
Hispanic students saw a 3.7 percentage point increase from 2025 to 2026 and an 11.2 percentage point increase from 2021 to 2026.
Literacy rates for students in special education and students receiving free or reduced-price meals have also increased for five consecutive years. Students in special education saw a 2.3 percentage point increase from 2025 to 2026 and a 14.5 percentage point increase from 2021 to 2026.
Students receiving free or reduced-price meals saw a 1.5 percentage point increase from 2025 to 2026 and an 11.5 percentage point increase from 2021 to 2026.
For more information on statewide IREAD results, click here.
Michiana school district results
Several school districts in Michiana were among those that saw gains in IREAD proficiency. Below is a breakdown of results by county for local public school districts. Year-over-year changes reflect comparisons to the 2024-2025 school year.
Elkhart County
- Baugo Community Schools – 94.4% (↑ 0.6%)
- Concord Community Schools – 89.8% (↑ 4.2%)
- Elkhart Community Schools – 77.1% (↓ 3.8%)
- Fairfield Community Schools – 97.7% (↓ 0.1%)
- Goshen Community Schools – 85.1% (↑ 6.7%)
- Middlebury Community Schools – 95.4% (↓ 0.2%)
- Wa-Nee Community Schools – 96.6% (↑ 1.8%)
Fulton County
- Caston School Corporation – 96.4% (↑ 2.2%)
- Rochester Community School Corporation – 87.2% (↓ 3.2%)
Kosciusko County
- Tippecanoe Valley School Corporation – 95.1% (↑ 0.1%)
- Warsaw Community Schools – 89.4% (↑ 2.7%)
- Wawasee Community School Corporation – 92.7% (↓ 1.1%)
- Whitko Community Schools – 96.5% (↑ 9.4%)
LaGrange County
- Lakeland School Corporation – 83.0% (↑ 0.2%)
- Prairie Heights Community School Corporation – 95.4% (↑ 4.6%)
- Westview School Corporation – 98.7% (↑ 4.2%)
LaPorte County
- LaPorte Community School Corporation – 89.8% (↓ 3.5%)
- Metropolitan School District of New Durham Township – 89.6% (↑ 4.8%)
- Michigan City Area Schools – 82.8% (↑ 5.6%)
- New Prairie United School Corporation – 94.8% (↑ 0.3%)
- South Central Community School Corporation – 96.0% (↓ 1.2%)
- Tri-Township Schools – 91.3% (↓ 1.6%)
Marshall County
- Argos Community Schools – 86.8% (↓ 6.2%)
- Bremen Public Schools – 92.6% (↓ 1.2%)
- Culver Community School Corporation – 92.6% (↓ 2.3%)
- Plymouth Community School Corporation – 86.7% (↑ 4.8%)
- Triton School Corporation – 95.8% (↑ 7.4%)
Pulaski County
- Eastern Pulaski Community School Corporation – 94.4% (↓ 0.4%)
- West Central School Corporation – 87.5% (↑ 4.2%)
St. Joseph County
- John Glenn School Corporation – 94.0% (↑ 1.8%)
- LaVille Community Schools – 85.9% (↓ 1.2%)
- Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation – 94.7% (↑ 1.0%)
- School City of Mishawaka – 88.5% (↑ 0.1%)
- South Bend Community School Corporation – 70.9% (↑ 0.2%)
Starke County
- Knox Community School Corporation – 85.0% (↓ 0.1%)
- North Judson-San Pierre School Corporation – 88.2% (↑ 0.1%)
- Oregon-Davis School Corporation – 100.0% (↑ 2.8%)
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