Highlights

• Louisiana 4th graders led the entire nation in reading growth for the second consecutive testing cycle (2022 and 2024)
• Louisiana was one of only two states where 4th graders exceeded pre-pandemic 2019 scores in both reading and math
• The state jumped from 42nd place to 16th place nationally in 4th grade reading between 2022 and 2024
• Students with disabilities and economically disadvantaged students in Louisiana outperformed their national peers in both achievement and growth
• Louisiana’s overall state ranking climbed to 32nd nationally, up from 49th just five years ago in 2019

How Louisiana 4th Graders Beat Every Other State in Reading

Reading scores dropped across America in 2024. Louisiana bucked that trend and posted historic gains that show what happens when states focus on teaching kids how to actually read.

LAFAYETTE, La. (KPEL News) — Louisiana 4th graders just did something no other state managed: they led the nation in reading growth for the second year in a row.

According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, Louisiana’s 4th graders posted the biggest reading gains in America for both the 2022 and 2024 testing cycles. Not a single other state improved in reading at either grade level compared to 2022.

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The latest NAEP results—America’s report card—show a state that became a national model while everyone else went backward. Louisiana was one of only two states where 4th graders beat their pre-pandemic 2019 scores in both reading and math. Alabama managed this feat only in 4th grade math.

What Louisiana Families Need to Know About the Results

Louisiana 4th graders jumped from 42nd place nationally in 2022 to 16th place in 2024 for reading, according to data from the National Center for Education Statistics. That’s a 26-spot climb in two years.

The state’s 8th graders also advanced. Their reading scores stayed flat between 2022 and 2024, but they still climbed 10 spots in the national rankings to 29th place. That tells you how badly other states performed.

Louisiana’s gains reached every type of student. According to the Louisiana Department of Education, students with disabilities and economically disadvantaged students beat their national peers in both achievement and growth. That reverses the historical pattern where vulnerable kids fell further behind.

Louisiana’s overall ranking across all four tested areas—4th and 8th grade reading and math—now stands at 32nd nationally. Five years ago in 2019, the state ranked 49th.

The Science Behind Louisiana’s Reading Success

Louisiana went all-in on what researchers call the “science of reading.” That’s the main reason these numbers look so different from the rest of the country.

“I wouldn’t say that it’s not working,” National Center for Education Statistics Commissioner Peggy Carr told reporters when asked whether the science of reading produces results. Carr singled out Louisiana’s reading policies, noting the state has focused hard on the science of reading for several years.

READ MORE: Louisiana Moves Up Significantly in Latest Education Rankings

The science of reading means teaching kids to decode words sound-by-sound using systematic phonics instruction. It replaces older methods that told students to guess at words based on context clues or pictures.

Louisiana did more than buy new textbooks. According to State Superintendent Cade Brumley, the state required every kindergarten through 3rd grade teacher and school leader to complete training in the science of reading. Louisiana also banned three-cueing systems—a reading approach that tells students to draw on context instead of sounding words out.

The state added universal literacy screening and interventions to catch struggling readers early. This system keeps kids from slipping through the cracks during the critical early literacy years.

How Louisiana’s Approach Differs from Other States

Louisiana joined what education advocates call the “Southern Surge”—a group of southern states including Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee that posted major reading gains through similar reforms.

According to a detailed analysis by Kelsey Piper, these states share three elements: they adopted high-quality, research-backed reading curricula; they gave teachers intensive, curriculum-specific training instead of generic professional development; and they implemented clear accountability including standardized testing and grade-level retention policies for students who can’t read proficiently by the end of third grade.

The pattern is clear. Mississippi climbed from 49th nationally in 4th grade reading to 9th. Louisiana followed the same path. Tennessee cracked the top 25 for the first time.

“They aren’t doing anything that others can’t do,” Kareem Weaver, executive director of FULCRUM, a literacy advocacy group, told Piper. “In fact, they are doing it with far less money than most state departments of education have at their disposal.”

Louisiana spends less per student than wealthier states like California and Massachusetts, but now outperforms them in key measures—especially for disadvantaged students. Black 4th graders in Louisiana read at basic level or above at the same rate as their counterparts in top-performing Massachusetts, despite Louisiana’s median Black household income being roughly half of Massachusetts.

Timeline and Louisiana’s Path Forward

Louisiana started implementing reading reforms around 2017 with the creation of Content Leader roles—teachers who get extensive training and then support other educators in their schools with curriculum.

The Louisiana Department of Education built a structured teacher leadership pathway with multiple levels: Content Leaders who facilitate professional learning in schools, Teacher Leader Advisors who help develop and refine state instructional materials, and comprehensive training programs that span nine full days organized into four sections covering curriculum, close reading, writing instruction, and facilitation skills.

The state also developed the ELA Guidebooks curriculum, built around complex grade-level texts and knowledge building. The Guidebooks combine research-based approaches to fluency, vocabulary, speaking and listening, and writing. Louisiana rejected the idea that schools must choose between high-quality curriculum and foundational skills instruction.

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State Superintendent Brumley stressed that Louisiana can’t get complacent despite these results. “While we are obviously pleased, we are not completely satisfied as there is more work to accomplish,” Brumley said at a press conference announcing the results.

The state keeps refining its approach. In spring 2024, Brumley launched the “Let Teachers Teach” initiative, gathering over two dozen educators to identify practical solutions for classroom disruptions and unnecessary bureaucracy. Eighteen of their recommendations became policy, including a statewide cellphone ban during the instructional day.

What Happens Next for Louisiana Education

Louisiana’s success on the 2024 NAEP has grabbed national attention and raised questions about whether other states will copy these reforms.

The challenge is both political and practical. As Piper notes in her analysis, many blue states moved slower to embrace phonics-based curricula and accountability measures, despite mounting evidence they work. Some educators and administrators remain skeptical of standardized testing and retention policies, even as states like Louisiana prove their impact when combined with high-quality instruction and support.

For Louisiana, the next challenge is keeping these gains and extending them to older students. The state’s 8th grade results improved in rankings but showed flat scores—students who struggled during the pandemic years need additional support as they move through middle school.

ExcelinEd senior policy fellow Christy Hovanetz explained that helping students catch up in reading works better in younger grades when they’re still learning the basics, rather than in later grades when they’re expected to understand increasingly complex texts. Students who were borderline struggling readers in 4th and 5th grade during the pandemic no longer get intensive instruction on reading fundamentals.

To keep this progress going, Louisiana needs to stay focused on its back-to-basics approach while making sure students master the standards at each grade level. The state introduced a new reading assessment that 3rd graders must pass to advance to the next grade—a high-stakes measure designed to ensure no child advances without the reading skills necessary for future academic success.