New York elementary students show decline in reading proficiency

Preliminary data from the New York State Education Department indicates a decline in reading proficiency among elementary students. For the 2025-26 period, 57% of third graders, 52% of fourth graders, and 57% of fifth graders failed to demonstrate proficiency on English Language Arts (ELA) exams.

Overall, only 48% of students in grades 3-8 achieved proficiency, marking a five percentage point decrease from the previous year. The decline was particularly sharp in fifth grade, which saw a 14-point drop in proficiency scores. In New York City, proficiency levels also fell, with third-grade scores dropping by approximately 13.8%.

Critics attribute these declining scores to systemic issues, including the decoupling of state test scores from teacher evaluations and the lowering of