Ohio School Report Cards show 5-year high in literacy proficiency

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, Lt. Governor Jim Tressel, and Ohio Department of Education and Workforce (DEW) Director Stephen D. Dackin today announced the release of the 2026 Ohio School Report Cards. The results show Ohio students are making significant gains in literacy, with statewide English language arts proficiency reaching a five-year high of 62.2%.

The results also show statewide math proficiency reached a five-year high, while attendance continues to improve and more Ohio students are demonstrating readiness for college, careers, the workforce, and military service.

Summary of Ohio School Report Cards

In 2023, Governor DeWine launched the ReadOhio initiative, a statewide effort to raise literacy achievement. The 2025-2026 school year marked the first full year of implementation of instruction grounded in Science of Reading in Ohio schools.

The gains achieved over the past year mark an important milestone in the DeWine Administration’s efforts to strengthen literacy instruction for all Ohio students.

“We know the Science of Reading is the best method we have for teaching children of all abilities how to read,” said Governor DeWine. “With the support of the General Assembly, we made the Science of Reading a requirement in Ohio schools. A change of this scale takes time and persistence from teachers and students, but when you look at this year’s state report cards and see what has been done in a relatively short amount of time, it is a tremendous accomplishment.”

This year’s report cards also show English language arts proficiency increased across every student demographic group, including vulnerable student populations such as economically disadvantaged students and students with disabilities.

The 2026 Ohio School Report Cards show that literacy proficiency rates have increased across all 10 demographic groups measured by DEW. At the same time, math proficiency rates have increased in nine of these 10 demographic groups.
During his 2026 State of the State Address, Governor DeWine announced the expansion of the ReadOhio coaching network, which now includes 140 coaches serving more than 200 schools, and the creation of new Science of Reading Instructional Implementation Teams, which are helping educators fully execute the Science of Reading in their classrooms.

“Raising literacy achievement is foundational to everything we want for Ohio students,” said Director Dackin. “The ability to read proficiently opens doors to success in mathematics, postsecondary education, careers, and life beyond the classroom. Through ReadOhio and other supports, we are building the statewide capacity to make literacy achievement a lasting strength for Ohio.”

This progress is also reaching children before they enter the K-12 classroom. Last year alone, the number of children demonstrating literacy readiness for kindergarten went up by 16,900 – an increase of 17.2 percentage points from the prior year.

Governor DeWine and First Lady Fran DeWine have made early childhood literacy a priority through their creation and statewide expansion of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library of Ohio, which sends a free book in the mail every month to participating children from birth to age five, helping instill a love of books and reading from an early age. Since its statewide launch, the program has mailed over 28 million books to Ohio children. Today, more than 430,000 children across the state receive a book every month.

“Reading is the key to school and the key to life,” said Governor DeWine. “From the Science of Reading to our support of Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, we are giving more children the tools they need to succeed in all subjects. When we help our children learn to read, we are helping them reach their full, God-given potential.”

Math Achievement Continues to Climb Statewide
For the 2025-2026 school year, mathematics proficiency reached 56.4% statewide. Like English language arts proficiency, this represents Ohio’s highest math proficiency level in five years.

Statewide improvements in English language arts and math are further illustrated on this year's Performance Index, with scores showing student growth in English language arts up 2.21 points since 2022 to 84.07 this year, and math achievement climbing 5.7 points since 2022 to 78.7 this year.

Ohio’s Class of 2025 continues to show strong momentum in college, career, workforce, and military readiness. Over two-thirds of graduates earned at least one of the state’s 11 postsecondary readiness measures, marking the third consecutive year of statewide improvement.

Key highlights include:

• Technical skill proficiency continues to rise. In 2025, 25.4% of graduates achieved proficiency on three or more career‑technical assessments, an increase from 22.3% in 2023.

• Work‑based learning participation is expanding. The percentage of students earning the OhioMeansJobs Readiness Seal along with 250 hours work-based learning more than doubled, reaching 8.4% in 2025.

• Ohio is also strengthening the value of industry-recognized credentials for students. Earlier this year, DEW released an updated list of high-value industry-recognized credentials, redesigned to ensure credentials are aligned with employer demand and support meaningful opportunities after graduation. The list was developed with feedback from more than 1,000 education, workforce, and business leaders.

Student Attendance Continues to Improve
For the fourth consecutive year, statewide absenteeism rates continued to decline, reflecting meaningful progress toward ensuring students are present and ready to learn. From 2021-2022 to this past school year, chronic absenteeism has decreased by 6.3 percentage points.

Over the past year alone, chronic absenteeism dropped from 25.1% to 23.9%. This amounts to an additional 3.7 million hours of learning for Ohio students.

Schools, families, and community partners across the state continue to build upon efforts to reduce chronic absenteeism and address barriers that prevent regular attendance.

This summer, DEW launched the Ohio Statewide Attendance Dashboard, giving school communities timely data to identify attendance challenges and intervene earlier.

Ohio’s broader student wellness efforts also include increasing access to school-based health clinics in Ohio schools, while the Ohio Department of Health’s OhioSEE program is providing eye care services for more students in kindergarten through third grade.

Additionally, the Team Tressel Fitness Challenge is encouraging more Ohio students to build healthy habits that are leading to success in the classroom and in life. Since its launch last fall, hundreds of thousands of Ohio students in grades 3-8 have taken on the challenge – setting and achieving personal goals in fitness, nutrition, and sleep, while learning the importance of an attitude of gratitude.

“Ohio’s students, teachers, and families have a lot to be proud of,” said Lt. Governor Tressel. “These report card results show great improvement across the board in our classrooms, and are another reminder of what our young people can accomplish when they set goals, develop good habits, and have a team around them encouraging them to be their best. That’s the same spirit behind the Team Tressel Fitness Challenge. Whether it’s in school, on the playground, or at home, we want our students building the physical and mental habits that help them succeed in everything they do. When our kids are getting stronger, Ohio is getting stronger.”

Staying Informed about Ohio Schools
Everyone has a role to play in the success of Ohio schools. Community members are encouraged to learn more about what’s happening in their local schools. Talking with parents and neighbors, browsing school and district websites, and connecting with educators are among the ways to gain a complete understanding of students’ educational experiences.