PHOTO CAPTION: State Rep. Stephen Bartels (R-Eckerty) (far left) joins staff and school leaders from North Spencer County School Corporation at the Indiana Statehouse on April 8, 2026, to recognize their outstanding student literacy achievement.
STATEHOUSE (April 13, 2026) – Area schools were recently recognized for achieving high literacy rates by the Indiana Department of Education, according to State Rep. Stephen Bartels (R-Eckerty).
IDOE recognized more than 400 schools across the state achieving a 95% or higher passage rate on the 2025 Indiana Reading Evaluation and Determination (IREAD) assessment at the Literacy Achievement Celebration at the Statehouse on Wednesday, April 8, 2026.
"Literacy is the foundation for everything that follows in a child's educational journey, and here in southern Indiana, we are seeing parents, teachers and students excel," Bartels said. "The progress we're seeing reflects a shared commitment to making sure every child can read and succeed."
Area schools recognized include:
In 2023, Bartels supported House Enrolled Act 1558 to implement science of reading standards and provide targeted support for Indiana students experiencing the greatest reading challenges.
Last year, Indiana's third grade reading scores improved by nearly five percentage points, which is the largest single-year increase since the state 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.
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.
Results from the 2025 IREAD for individual schools and corporations are available on IDOE's website. Click here to learn more about the state's literacy standards.
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State Rep. Stephen Bartels (R-Eckerty) represents House District 74, which includes
all of Crawford, Perry and Spencer counties, and portions of Dubois and Orange counties.
Click here for a high resolution photo.
