No Alabama school district had all of their third or second graders reading on grade level in 2022-23, a basic indicator for student success in future grades.

Statewide, results from spring testing varied widely. Schools have spent the past several years pushing to get more teachers trained in how to better teach reading, how to identify struggling readers, and how to offer more support to students who need extra help.

Alabama tested 52,528 third graders and 53,937 second graders this spring and found:

• 76% of third graders are reading on grade level, a decrease of two percentage points from last year’s results.
• 78% of second graders are reading on grade level, down two percentage points from last year.

That means about 11,662 second graders tested below grade level. Schools should already be thinking about ways to help those students improve reading skills. Those students could be at risk of being retained if they are not reading on grade level by the end of third grade and before the start of the 2024-25 school year.

Alabama did not provide demographic data for students who are not reading at grade level. Last year, a national assessment, NAEP, showed some gains in reading among Black and Hispanic students.

Kindergarten through third grade students who are identified with a reading deficiency are invited to attend a school’s free summer literacy camp – most of which started Monday – but attendance is not mandatory.

Last year, about half of the 11,000-plus third graders who tested below grade level took another reading test after reading camp, and half of those students scored at grade level or above.

Read more: What’s so important about third grade reading? What’s the science of reading?

Board Vice President Wayne Reynolds said it may take a while to help parents understand that attending summer camp is an important way to help students catch up.

State department officials said it’s not too late for students to attend summer camps and said if students still want to attend, parents should contact school officials.

State Superintendent Eric Mackey said this year’s reading test is more rigorous than last year’s, as it is based on the newest English Language Arts standards, adopted in 2021. Mackey told board members that rigor – higher than many other states, he said – is why Alabama may have higher numbers of second and third graders not reading on grade level.

District-level results

Alabama’s range of grade-level readers was wide: Thirty-seven percent of second graders in both Sumter and Barbour County schools were reading on grade level.

More than 95% of second graders in four school districts – Mountain Brook City, Saraland City, Vestavia Hills City and Orange Beach City – are reading on grade level.

At the third grade level, the range was 42% in Greene County to 98% in Mountain Brook City.

School-level results

School-level data also shows a wide range of grade level reading percentages: 23% to 100% in third grade and 21% to 100% for second grade.

Charter schools showed wide variation, too: 31% to 87% for third grade and 28% to 83% for second grade.

The seven schools with 100% of third graders reading on grade level are:

• Forest Avenue Elementary Magnet School, Montgomery County,
• Mountain Brook Elementary School, Mountain Brook City,
• Skyline High School, Jackson County,
• EPIC Alternative Elementary School, Birmingham City,
• Kilby Laboratory School, Florence City,
• New Bethel Elementary School, Colbert County, and
• Sparkman Elementary School, Morgan County.

Three schools had all second graders reading on grade level:

• MacMillan International Magnet School at McKee, Montgomery County,
• Monte Sano Elementary School, Huntsville City, and
• Ivalee Elementary School, Etowah County.

The table below shows the percentage of second and third grade students reading on grade level at each school and district. It is best viewed on a larger screen. Click here if you are unable to see the table.