BATON ROUGE — Half of Louisiana's kindergarten through third-grade students are now reading at or above their reading level, Louisiana Department of Education data released Wednesday said. 

The data came from the results of the newest beginning-of-year literacy screener the department conducts annually. 

This is the second consecutive year of growth on the beginning-of-year screener — up three points from fall 2024 — and the highest overall proficiency level since Louisiana began these reading assessments in the 2023-2024 school year, officials said.

Third-grade students showed the most growth, improving by five points. Second-graders increased by four points, while first-graders were up by two and kindergarteners were up by one. 

“These gains are a result of Louisiana’s dedicated teachers,” Louisiana State Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley said. “We must stay the course and continue building strong foundations for all students.”