STATEHOUSE (Sept. 2, 2025) – State Reps. Tim O’Brien (R-Evansville) and Matt Hostettler (R-Patoka) 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.
O’Brien, who serves as Chair of the House Ways and Means K-12 subcommittee, 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.
“Indiana is already recognized as a national leader in education and it’s exciting to see continued progress for our students,” O’Brien said. “It all starts with the hard work of Hoosier educators and students showing up day after day with perseverance and a commitment to learn.”
Hostettler 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.
“These results reflect a strong focus on improving reading at the third grade level to ensure our students are set up for success,” Hostettler said. “I am grateful for the hard work of students, parents and educators in our communities for contributing to this positive growth in literacy rates.”
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.
