How many American students can't read?

Biennial testing through NAEP consistently shows that two thirds of U.S. children are unable to read with proficiency. An astounding 40 percent are essentially nonreaders.

Why so many American kids are struggling to read?

In short, children raised in poverty, those with limited proficiency in English, those from homes where the parents' reading levels and practices are low, and those with speech, language, and hearing handicaps are at increased risk of reading failure.

Are literacy rates declining in America?

Children as well as adults are facing the effects of the crisis: approximately 40% of students across the nation cannot read at a basic level, according to the National Literacy Institute. Of the low-income population of children in the U.S., almost 70% cannot read at a basic level.

What is the literacy problem in the United States?

In the United States, 54% of American adults read below the equivalent of a sixth-grade level, and nearly one in five adults reads below a third-grade level. Lower literacy rates directly correlate to higher unemployment rates, reduced income, and overall impacts U.S. competitiveness on the global stage.

What percentage of students can learn to read?

Researchers now estimate that 95 percent of all children can be taught to read by the end of first grade, with future achievement constrained* only by students' reasoning and listening comprehension abilities.

Inside America’s literacy crisis and efforts to change how kids learn to read | ABCNL

What percent of us can't read?

21% of adults in the US are illiterate in 2022. 54% of adults have a literacy below sixth-grade level. 21% of Americans 18 and older are illiterate in 2022.

Why 65% of fourth graders can't really read?

Emily Hanford reveals how America's educators adopted a flawed system for teaching reading to kids—and, as a result, completely failed them. Many parents saw America's public education system crumble under the weight of the pandemic.

Why is illiteracy so high in the US?

Poverty plays a large role in whether children develop literacy skills during their early years. Some 22% of children in the U.S. live in poverty, according to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Some 43% of adults living in poverty have low literacy levels.

Why is the US illiteracy rate so high?

Hispanics, older people, and incarcerated people are more likely to be low literate than other US adults. Major factors influencing literacy development include education, socioeconomic status, learning English as a second language, learning disabilities, and crime.

Which 3 states have the lowest literacy rate?

Why are US students math and reading scores dropping?

U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona pointed to the results as an indicator of the impact of the federal investments made in schools during the pandemic, much of which was spent on academic recovery initiatives, such as tutoring and mental health support for students.

How well do US students read?

About one-third of students at each grade level were reading at a “proficient” level. Over the past forty years literacy skills scores on assessment tests have not improved much—in sharp contrast to sizable increases in math scores over this same period.

What percentage of American kids can't read?

Biennial testing through NAEP consistently shows that two thirds of U.S. children are unable to read with proficiency. An astounding 40 percent are essentially nonreaders.

Is reading losing popularity?

In fact, these days Americans are reading less than they have in over 30 years. You read that right. The Americans surveyed in Gallup's poll said they read (“either all or part of the way through”) an average of 12.6 books in 2021, down from 15.6 in 2016 and a recent high of 18.5 in 1999.

What percent of high school students can't read?

According to a study conducted in late April 2015 by the US Department of Education and the National Institute of Literacy, 32 million adults in the United States can't read above a fifth grade level, and 19% of high school graduates can't read.

Which state has highest illiteracy rate?

Bihar is the least literate state in India, with a literacy of 63.82%.

What percentage of China is illiterate?

China's literacy rate has increased from 66 percent in 1982 to 97.2 percent in 2020. A distinctive gap between gender literacy existed as early as 1982, but gender differences in literacy had become less significant by 2020.

What state has the highest illiteracy rate?

States with Lowest Literacy Rates

New Mexico has the lowest literacy rate in the US, with a rate of 70.9%. California has the second lowest literacy rate, at 71.6%, while both Texas and Mississippi have literacy rates of 71.8%, making them the third and fourth states with the lowest literacy rates in the US.

How many Americans read at a 6th grade level?

130 million Americans read below sixth-grade level

In the U.S., nearly 130 million American adults read below a sixth-grade level — that number represents more than half the adult US population, according to the Department of Education.

What percentage of kindergarteners can read?

Two percent of pupils (1in 50) begin kindergarten able to read simple sight words, and 1 percent are also able to read more complex words in sentences.

Is illiteracy a disability?

For example, a person 45 years old with a limited education, and a work history that is unskilled, or no work history, would not be considered disabled if able to perform work in a seated position. However, if the same claimant were totally illiterate, he would be considered disabled if he were limited to seated work.

Do 54% of Americans read below 6th grade level?

130 million Americans—54% of adults between the ages of 16 and 74 years old—lack proficiency in literacy, essentially reading below the equivalent of a sixth-grade level. Often, counties with the lowest literacy rates are the same areas that experience poor health, poverty, and low economic mobility.

Why do kids not read anymore?

There are a lot of distractions out there. Kids aren't living in little log cabins where all there is to do is read. It could be a combination of watching too much television at home and doing a lot of boring worksheets in school. Once children lose interest in reading, it's hard to get them back.

What grade do most kids read?

First and Second Grade (Ages 6–7)

Kids usually begin to: read familiar stories. "sound out" or decode unfamiliar words. use pictures and context to figure out unfamiliar words.