IPS Third-Grade Literacy Gains Outpace State for Second Consecutive Year

Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS) students are making significant gains in early literacy, with the district's 2025-26 IREAD proficiency rate increasing 3.7 percentage points as compared to the state’s improvement of 1.4 percentage points.

This marks the second consecutive year that IPS’ year-over-year gains on the state’s literacy test for third graders have outpaced statewide gains, continuing a positive trend in the district's efforts to strengthen foundational reading skills. 

The data was released Aug. 11, 2026, by the Indiana Department of Education.

IPS also has surpassed its pre-pandemic literacy performance. The district's IREAD proficiency rate increased from 71.4% in 2019 to 73.7% in 2026, marking another important milestone in the district's literacy work.

“These latest IREAD results reflect the incredible work happening every day in IPS classrooms,” said IPS Superintendent Dr. Aleesia Johnson. “Our students and educators are demonstrating that sustained, focused investment in literacy can produce meaningful results. We are proud that our gains continue to outpace statewide growth, and that we have now surpassed our pre-pandemic performance. At the same time, we know this work is far from finished. Every student deserves to be a strong reader, and we will continue to provide the resources, support and opportunities our students need to succeed.”

Several IPS schools posted particularly strong year-over-year gains, led by Ernie Pyle School 90, which increased 30.6 percentage points. James Russell Lowell School 51 grew by 23.1 percentage points, while Thomas Gregg Neighborhood School increased 15.3 percentage points. 

Merle Sidener Academy 59 also achieved a remarkable milestone, with 100% of its students demonstrating proficiency on IREAD this year, up from 97.9% the previous year. 

The Indiana Department of Education also announced that this year’s ILEARN results establish a new baseline for student performance and should not be compared with results from previous years. The Indiana State Board of Education approved the standard-setting process outlined in the state’s memo. School- and district-level ILEARN results are expected to be released in September.

IPS IREAD-3 School Highlights

Schools Achieving Above 90% Proficiency

• Ernie Pyle School 90, an Exploratory School: 90.6%
• William McKinley School 39, an Exploratory School: 91.5%
• Rousseau McClellan School 91, a Montessori School: 93.9%
• George W. Julian School 57 Center for Inquiry: 95.8%
• Merle Sidener Academy 59, a High Ability School: 100%

Schools Achieving Above 80% Proficiency

• Washington Irving Neighborhood School: 82.4%
• Brookside School 54, an Exploratory School: 83.1%
• Eliza Blaker School 55, a Butler Lab Reggio-Inspired School: 85.4%
• James A. Garfield School 31, a STEM School: 85.7%
• Benjamin Harrison School 2 Center for Inquiry, an IB World School: 87.8%
• Mary Nicholson School 70 Center for Inquiry, an IB World School: 88.3%
• Joseph J. Bingham School 84 Center for Inquiry, an IB World School: 89.8%

Schools Increasing 10 Percentage Points or More

• Thomas Gregg Neighborhood School: +15.3 percentage points
• Edison School of the Arts: +15.1 percentage points
• Rousseau McClellan School 91, a Montessori School: +10.1 percentage points
• Charity Dye School 27 Center for Inquiry, an IB World School: +10.0 percentage points

Schools Increasing 20 Percentage Points or More

• Ernie Pyle School 90, an Exploratory School: +30.6 percentage points
• James Russell Lowell School 51, a Montessori School: +23.1 percentage points

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