STATEHOUSE (Aug. 29, 2025) – State Reps. Matt Commons (R-Williamsport) and Kendell Culp (R-Rensselaer) 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.
Commons 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.
"I am proud of the students and teachers who have worked so hard to improve reading skills," Commons said. "It's such an important skill and by prioritizing literacy rates, we are setting students up for success in and out of the classroom.”
Culp noted that literacy rates for all student populations also improved.
"In just a few years, we've made meaningful progress in reading scores thanks to the efforts of our educators, students and their families," Culp said. "Reading proficiency is a critical skill that will help ensure our Hoosier children are set up for success."
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.
Culp 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.
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.
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State Rep. Matt Commons (R-Williamsport) represents House District 13,
which includes all of Benton and Warren counties, and portions of
Fountain, Jasper, Montgomery, Newton, Tippecanoe and White counties.
Click here to download a high-resolution photo.
State Rep. Kendell Culp (R-Rensselaer) represents House District 16,
which includes portions of Jasper, Pulaski, Starke and White counties.
Click here to download a high-resolution photo.
