By John Rohlf, The Message assistant editor
For the second consecutive year, over a dozen schools earned a 100 percent pass rate on the IREAD assessment.
For the 2025-2026 school year, at least 16 Diocese of Evansville schools reached the 100 percent pass rate on the Indiana Evaluation and Determination assessment, which is given to third graders across the state. After 11 schools reached the 100 percent threshold in the 2023-2024 school year, the diocese had at least 16 schools reach the threshold the past two years, according to data available from the Indiana Department of Education. One diocesan school’s data was not available for the 2025-2026 assessment year, due to having less than 10 students take the assessment.
For the 2025-2026 assessment, three other schools achieved a pass rate of at least 90 percent. As a whole, diocesan elementary schools with 10 or more students achieved a pass rate of over 96 percent, an increase over last year’s mark of over 94 percent. Complete data was not available for one diocesan school, who had fewer than 10 students.
“We’re so proud of our students’ performance on IREAD,” Diocese of Evansville Superintendent of Schools Michelle Priar said. “It’s a testament not only to their hard work but also to that of their teachers and parents, who help them master this essential skill. Instilling not only a love of reading but, more importantly, a love for God, his creation and others is key to the mission of our Catholic schools. We’re very proud of our students and all of their accomplishments.”
Statewide, scores increased for the fifth consecutive year, with an increase of 7.5 percentage points since 2021. With nearly 89 percent of students in the state now reading by the end of third grade, Indiana’s literacy rates have surpassed pre-pandemic levels, according to a press release from the Indiana Department of Education.
“Our reading scores haven’t just recovered from the pandemic — they’ve surged,” said Governor Mike Braun in the press release. “Five consecutive years of literacy gains show what’s possible when we stay focused on getting every Hoosier child on the path to success. We’ve surpassed where we were before the pandemic, and we’re not stopping here. Every Indiana student deserves the opportunity to read, learn and succeed, and we will keep pushing to make that a reality.”
Diocesan schools with at least 10 students assessed who reached the 100 percent pass rate on the most recent assessment are Annunciation School at Christ the King, Corpus Christi School, Good Shepherd School, Holy Rosary School, Resurrection School and St. Benedict Cathedral School, all in Evansville; Holy Cross School, Fort Branch; St. James School and Sts. Peter and Paul School, both in Haubstadt; Holy Trinity School, Jasper; St. Philip School, Posey County; St. Joseph School, Princeton; St. Bernard School, Rockport; St. Wendel School, St. Wendel; St. Joseph School, Vanderburgh County; and Flaget Elementary School, Vincennes.