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District 300: 908 students completed Summer Read 300; back-to-school attendance up, officials say
Summary
District 300 officials reported that 908 students completed Summer Read 300 and provided back-to-school metrics including 20,793 students returning the first day; administrators credited a summer communications campaign with improving early attendance.
District 300 officials on Aug. 26 reported participation and operational metrics for the start of the 2025-26 school year, including results from the Summer Read 300 literacy program.
Beth Gowdy, director of literacy (preK–8), said 908 District 300 students completed Summer Read 300; certificates and T-shirts were provided by the District 300 Foundation and top-participation schools were East View Elementary, Algonquin Middle and Jacobs High.
Anthony McGinn, chief communications officer, reported that the district welcomed 20,793 students, 1,681 teachers and 364 paraprofessionals on the first day of the school year. McGinn said the district ran 848 bus routes and served 44,755 meals in the first week. He told the board that first-nine-day attendance rates, which were previously around 91–92%, have increased to about 96% since the district began coordinated summer communications, noting the rise as an encouraging trend.
Officials also highlighted safety and student-leadership priorities tied to the district27s communications and training work and said they will provide additional updates to the board later this year.
Next steps: district staff said they will continue the Summer Read 300 program next year and will bring further metrics and participation photos to a future board update.
