Overview
- The Indiana Department of Education reported that 3,040 of more than 84,000 third graders were retained after failing IREAD-3 in the first year of the 2024 mandate.
- Of the 10,663 students who did not pass, 6,950 advanced to fourth grade under good-cause exemptions, and about 670 were no longer enrolled in Indiana schools.
- Nearly 75% of exemptions went to special education students and about 24% to recent English learners, with the remainder tied to prior retention or strong math performance.
- The statewide IREAD pass rate rose to 87.3% in 2024-25, marking the largest year-to-year gain since the exam began in 2013.
- Officials plan to launch a public dashboard with district and school breakdowns and will monitor retained students while expanding tutoring, summer programs, and teacher training.