Most Idaho K-3 students became stronger readers from the beginning to the end of last school year, according to recently released results from the state’s twice-annual reading exam. 

Statewide, K-3 student literacy improved from about 58% of students reading at grade level last fall to more than 66% this spring. 

Typically, students show reading growth from fall to spring, then a slight decline over the summer, followed by another spurt — a two-steps-forward, one-step-backward type of progress. Over time, there should be a trend of steady reading progress. 

While Idaho’s K-3 students have been consistently improving their reading skills from fall to spring, that growth has narrowed over the past three school years, and overall progress on the spring reading exam has slightly declined. 

Proficiency levels have not caught up to pre-pandemic scores; nearly 70% of students were reading at grade level in spring 2019. The pandemic and changes to the Idaho Reading Indicator exam (IRI) have been cited as contributors to lower-than-anticipated scores.

When spring reading scores are broken down at the district and charter level, nearly all showed some growth, though there were wide disparities in terms of how much.

At the rural Cambridge School District, for example, student reading proficiency increased by 38.6 percentage points. Post Falls was a standout among large districts, with a 20 percentage point increase. Boise stood out among large districts for another reason — its minimal growth. There was an increase of just 0.2 percentage points from fall to spring. 

In a few cases, literacy rates declined over the course of the school year. 

Oneida County School District showed the worst regression in the state, with a 10 percentage point decline in student reading proficiency. About 8,000 students attend Oneida, and about 7,000 of them attend the district’s online school and live in various parts of the state. 

The release of spring reading scores comes as Idaho Department of Education officials are considering overhauling the IRI. They expect to announce whether the exam will be changing in mid-August, when a potentially new vendor will be awarded the exam contract. The state’s current vendor is iStation.

For a look at where student reading progress is the best — and worst — take a look at the lists below. 

Greatest growth by charters / nontraditional schools

A diverse bunch of charters claimed the state’s greatest reading growth. They include schools from east and central Idaho, and from the Treasure Valley. They also include a few online schools, some that were rural, and others in urban centers. Most are relatively small. 

*# of test takers estimated according to K-3 enrollment

Greatest growth by traditional school districts

Most districts on this list are relatively small and rural, and represent geographically diverse parts of the state. 

*# of test takers estimated according to K-3 enrollment

Greatest growth by large traditional school districts

Two North Idaho districts showed the greatest reading growth among peers of their size (out of 25 districts with the highest enrollment). And North Idaho districts claimed five of the top 10 spots. 

Most regression / least growth by charters / nontraditional schools

A half dozen Treasure Valley charters are among those with regression or minimal growth. 

Most regression / least growth by traditional school districts

The traditional districts with the least reading growth can be found across the state, and include both small, rural districts and large, urban districts. 

Idaho Education News data analyst Randy Schrader contributed to this report.