Idaho Fall Reading Results: Nearly 70 Percent of Third Graders at Grade Level as K-3 Proficiency Rises to 60.2 Percent
The Idaho Department of Education, in Boise, Ada County, Idaho, released the fall 2026 Idaho Reading Indicator (IRI) results on November 2: 60.2 percent of the state's kindergarten through third-grade students read at or above grade level, up from 57 percent in fall 2025, and the third-grade proficiency rate reached 69.78 percent, nearly 70 percent.
By grade, first graders rose from 56.35 to 60 percent, second graders from 61 to 65.3 percent, and kindergarten held roughly steady at 43.85 percent, versus 44 percent a year earlier. Proficiency climbed among economically disadvantaged students, from 47.8 to 51.8 percent; English learners, from 30.1 to 33.8 percent; and special education students, from 28.3 to 32.8 percent.
This was the third administration of the updated IRI, which measures phonics, phonemic awareness, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension each fall and spring for grades K-3. It is now administered by Amira Learning and requires students to read aloud and respond, a more demanding format than the previous multiple-choice version.
Governor Brad Little said the state's five-fold increase in literacy funding, from $13.1 million in 2019 to $72.8 million in 2025, is paying off. Superintendent of Public Instruction Debbie Critchfield said the continued investments in early literacy are paying off for the state's youngest learners. Statewide and local results are available on the Idaho Report Card website.
(Source: Idaho Department of Education)
Source: Idaho Department of Education
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Photo: 图：位于 Boise 的爱达荷州议会大厦。照片：CC BY 4.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: The Idaho State Capitol in Boise. Photo: CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
