Slow but steady: K–2 reading readiness climbs just 1–2 percentage points annually.

With just over half of young readers on track and year-over-year gains flattening, the latest research brief underscores the urgency of data-driven instruction:

57% of K–2 students overall are on track to learn to read.
Year-over-year improvement from 2024–25 to 2025–26 ranged from zero to two percentage points across grades K–2; the youngest students made the most progress.
Middle-of-year data is uniquely positioned to help schools plan for instructional changes and implement those changes before the following school year. See our recommendations for schools and districts concerned about changing literacy outcomes.

An adult helps a child read a book at a table. The child is writing, and the adult is smiling. The setting resembles a classroom, with windows in the background.

Explore Amplify’s middle-of-year research brief.

Bar chart showing the percent of kindergarten students on track by year, ranging from 38% to 57%, with the highest value at 57% and the lowest at 38%.

Kindergarten at middle-of-year

57% of kindergarten students are on track to learn to read, two percentage points higher than 2024–25. Read more about how early reading recovery has stalled and what steps to take.

Bar chart showing the percent of Grade 1 students on track, with values 58, 44, 48, 52, 54, 55, and 56 percent, all below 60%.

First grade at middle-of-year

56% of first grade students are on track to learn to read, one percentage point higher than 2024–25. Read more about how early reading recovery has stalled and what steps to take.

Bar chart showing the percent of Grade 2 students on track, ranging from 52% to 60%, with an upward trend peaking at 58%.

Second grade at middle-of-year

58% of second grade students are on track to learn to read, no change from 2024–25. Read more about how early reading recovery has stalled and what steps to take.