STATEHOUSE (Aug. 27, 2025) – Hendricks County lawmakers 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.
State Rep. Greg Steuerwald (R-Avon) 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.
“This unprecedented increase in our literacy rates wouldn’t be possible without everyone coming together and working hard to improve it,” Steuerwald said. “It’s a remarkable achievement and shows how well these efforts are working. Thank you to our teachers working every day in the classroom to help our students succeed.”
State Rep. Jeff Thompson (R-Lizton) noted that literacy rates for all student populations also improved.
“Too many Hoosier students were falling behind on this fundamental part of learning,” Thompson said. “It’s gratifying to see what can be accomplished when people work together on a common goal, and I hope we can continue this progress in other areas of our academic curriculum.”
State Rep. Becky Cash (R-Zionsville), a member of the House Education Committee, 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.
“Reading is a foundation for learning and growing, and to see these rates increase is encouraging,” Cash said. “While this is not a sign we should slow down efforts, it is a great indication that our classrooms and our state are heading in the right direction.”
State Rep. Craig Haggard (R-Mooresville) 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.
“These gains in reading skills are a testament to the hard work happening in classrooms across Indiana,” Haggard said. “Early literacy is key to helping students thrive in every subject.”
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.
