NY 3rd-5th graders fail basic reading tests with more than half not even proficient: data
Read it and weep.More than half of 3rd- to 5th-grade students in the Empire State failed their reading proficiency state exams this year, according to shocking new data.Preliminary results released this week by the state Education Department that 57% of 3rd graders, 52% of 4th graders and 57% of 5th graders failed to make the grade on their 2025-26 English Language Arts tests.Overall, just 48% of students in the testing grades, 4th-8th, rated proficient on the ELA — a “significant” 5% plunge from the previous year, the department said.Fifth graders saw the largest drop of any grade level, with those students’ reading proficiency declining by an incredible 14 points, according to the results.In New York City — where about 40% of the state’s public school students are enrolled — the decline was even more concerning.City kids in grades 3-8 saw a 6% drop in their ELA scores from last year, with just about half overall rating proficient.
In 2025, about 56% made the grade on the reading test, which had been a 7% increase from the previous year, data shows.Big Apple 3rd graders were the poorest performers on the ELA, with scores for that age group plummeting 13.8% from the previous year as only about 44% ranked proficient.Fifth graders followed behind with a 13.1% drop, according to the data.While the results don’t make clear what exact ELA areas students are lacking in, experts said the blame can be placed on state officials throwing more money on public education year after year without changing teaching models.“If the amount of money spent alone determined the results, New York should be on top of the world,” Zilvinas Silenas, the president and CEO of the Empire Center for Public Policy, told The Post.“I’m not trying to say that all of New York’s education system is bad.
On average, it’s very mediocre, but we have some islands of excellence,” Silenas said.“Why aren’t we copying these islands of excellence on what they’re doing in o...