Florida’s third-grade reading scores are continuing to inch upward, according to a new report from the Florida Chamber Foundation’s Business Alliance for Early Learning.
The 2026 State of Third Grade Reading Proficiency in Florida report shows the state hit 60% in the 2025-26 school year after coming in at 57% last year and 55% two years ago.
Of the 208,417 third graders tested, 125,050 read at or above grade level. Another 83,367 did not.
While the measure is heading in the right direction, the Chamber cautioned that fewer third graders were tested in 2026 than in previous years and that changes in the size and composition of the tested population should be considered when comparing results across years.
“As I’ve said before, if we fix early learning, we fix other things,” said Florida Chamber President and CEO Mark Wilson, adding that “60% is not the finish line.”
The improvement was geographically broad, though not universal. Forty-nine of Florida’s 67 counties improved, 14 declined and four remained unchanged. Some of the largest gains occurred in small rural districts, led by Madison County, up 18 percentage points; Glades County, up 14 points; and Gilchrist County, up 13 points.
Glades also recorded the state’s highest proficiency rate at 83%, while Putnam County had the lowest at 41%.
English-language learners posted the largest improvement among the student groups examined, rising from 27% proficiency last year to 32% this year. The gap between those students and children whose first language is English narrowed from 36 percentage points to 34.
Still, substantial disparities remain. More than half (51%) of economically disadvantaged third graders read at or above grade level, compared with 70% of students who were not economically disadvantaged.
Hitting 100% is one of the Chamber’s long-standing goals and a key component of its 2030 Blueprint, a plan launched in 2018 aimed at bringing Florida’s economy into the Top 10 if measured as a country — the state’s $1.8 trillion GDP would currently place in the low- to mid-teens, just behind South Korea.
“Third grade reading is more than an education issue. It is a workforce issue,” said Corrie Melton, Vice President of Talent Development for Future of Work Florida at the Florida Chamber Foundation.
“The good news is that we are seeing progress across Florida, including significant gains in rural communities and among English language learners. Now we need to build on that momentum. Florida’s business leaders can help turn progress into lasting change by investing in early literacy, supporting educators and partnering with communities where the need is greatest.”
The findings come about a month after a separate Chamber report that found 44% of children entering kindergarten in Fall 2025 met the state’s readiness benchmark. That, too, was a slight uptick year-over-year but nowhere near the organization’s desired finish line.