Oregon’s Most Struggling K-5 Schools

Oregon’s most struggling K-5 schools when it comes to reading are located all across the state. These designations are the result of decades of chronic, systemic underinvestment in communities of color and rural communities throughout Oregon. “Most Struggling Schools” reflects Oregon’s lack of collective support of these students - it is in no way a reflection of our kids and their infinite potential. CLICK HERE to see which 100 schools had the highest percentages of students not reading at benchmark in 2022-2023. Our students who struggle with reading deserve access to the same transformative literacy instruction and tools as better-resourced elementary schools.

In June 2023, the Oregon Legislature passed the Early Literacy Success Initiative which dedicated $90 million to school districts to use towards research-aligned efforts to increase literacy rates and decrease academic disparities. Alongside other advocates, Oregon Kids Read fought hard to make sure that those funds are prioritized for schools that struggle the most with reading. We are very grateful to legislators for making this explicit in the legislation: Rules shall, to the greatest extent practicable, prioritize schools with the lowest rates of proficiency in literacy.

Interested in what research-aligned instruction looks like? Watch below!