2026 State of Florida 3rd Grade Reading Scores

Editor's Note: The Suncoast Campaign for Grade-Level Reading (SCGLR) is a four-county effort in Charlotte, DeSoto, Manatee, and Sarasota counties in Florida fostering wide community participation to achieve shared aspirations for the success of families and children. SCGLR is part of the more than 390 Campaign for Grade-Level Reading communities in 44 states across the nation and in the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Canada. The Patterson Foundation is the regional accelerator with county specific work led by the Community Foundation of Sarasota County, United Way Suncoast, and United Way of Charlotte County.

The Florida Department of Education recently released the 2025–2026 Grade 3 F.A.S.T. English Language Arts (ELA) assessment results. The F.A.S.T. assessment measures student achievement against Florida's B.E.S.T. Standards, with students scoring at Level 3 or higher considered to be reading at or above grade level.

The statewide news is encouraging. Florida's average increased from 57% to 60% of third graders reading at or above grade level—a three-percentage-point improvement over last year.

There is even more good news across the Suncoast region. Every county we serve improved its third-grade reading performance this year.

• Charlotte County: 61% of third graders scored at Level 3 or above, a 1-point increase over last year and 1 point above the state average.

• DeSoto County: 43% scored at Level 3 or above, a 1-point increase from last year. While still 17 points below the state average, the county continues to make forward progress.

• Manatee County: 56% scored at Level 3 or above, representing a 4-point increase from last year and narrowing the gap to 4 points below the state average.

• Sarasota County: 71% of students scored at Level 3 or above, also a 4-point increase from last year and an impressive 11 points above the state average.

While no single initiative or organization can claim responsibility for these results, they are an encouraging reminder that sustained community commitment to children, families, schools, and educators matters. Every partnership, every family engagement opportunity, every attendance initiative, every summer learning experience, every book shared, and every relationship built contributes to creating conditions where more children can thrive.

There is still important work ahead—especially in ensuring every child has the opportunity to become a confident, proficient reader—but today is a good day to recognize the positive momentum taking place across our four-county region.

Thank you for the passion, creativity, and persistence you bring to this work every day. Together, we continue to help create communities where more children have the opportunity to read proficiently by the end of third grade.