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City reviews falling third‑grade reading rates, Read On Phoenix expands targeted interventions
Summary
Phoenix staff presented data showing third‑grade reading proficiency at 27% in 2025 and outlined Read On Phoenix strategies—attendance initiatives, tutoring, early‑learning programs and partnerships with Stanford Children, First Things First and ASU—to improve outcomes through 2030.
Tim Valencia, Phoenix’s Youth and Education Director, told the subcommittee on Feb. 25 that third‑grade reading proficiency in Phoenix declined to 27% in 2025, down from 33% in 2022, and emphasized the city’s cross‑sector response to the data.
Valencia said the decline mirrors statewide trends and that chronic absenteeism remains a significant factor: in 2025, 23% of Phoenix students were chronically absent (missing 10% or more of the school year). "Students who do not read proficiently by third grade are four times more likely to leave high school…
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