$23K Per Student, A Third of Fourth Graders Can Read at Grade Level

By Beth Anne Rosica

Despite spending more than $23,000 per student annually, only a third of Pennsylvania fourth graders can read at grade level. Lawmakers are scrambling to fix it — but are they missing a key solution?

As a result of what can only be called a crisis, House and Senate members on both sides of the aisle sponsored bills this year in an attempt to address the problem. The pending legislation is modeled after other state literacy laws where vast increases were seen; however, Pennsylvania excluded one potentially key component — third grade retention for students not reading proficiently.

In states where retention laws have worked, it was just one part of a comprehensive, evidence-based reading strategy — not a standalone fix.

According to the 2024 Nation’s Report Card, Pennsylvania ranks 17th out of 50 states for fourth grade reading proficiency, despite higher than average funding levels. The Commonwealth Foundation reports Pennsylvania school districts spent over $23,000 per student in the 2023-2024 school year, “ranking seventh in the nation compared to the national average of $18,461.”

Read the entire article HERE: Beth Ann Rosica: $23K per student, but only one in three can read at grade level