7 in 10 Kids Aren't Reading Proficiently, and That's Not Your Child's Fault

Here's a number that stops me every time I see it: 70% of American fourth graders are not reading proficiently (Annie E. Casey Foundation). That's seven out of every ten kids. And according to the most recent data, that number is still going in the wrong direction.

If your child is one of them, I want you to hear this clearly: this is not a reflection of how smart they are. It is not a reflection of how hard you've tried. This is a system-wide challenge and it's one that researchers, educators, and families are working to change right now.

The National Assessment of Educational Progress , the closest thing we have to a national report card ,tracks reading scores across the country every few years. The 2024 results showed average reading scores dropped another 2 points from 2022. That means the gap didn't close during the years many kids missed critical instruction. In a lot of ways, the system is still catching up.

So what do we do with this? We stop waiting for the problem to fix itself.

At MMC Literacy Collective, we use Science of Reading-based support, the approach backed by decades of research and increasingly by law, to meet children where they are and build a real path forward. Not a patch. Not a workaround. A foundation.

If your child is working hard to read and it still feels like a struggle, you're not alone in this. There are answers, and there is a way through. I'd love to help you find it.

Rooting for your Dear Reader,

Megan