It's that time of year again.

School test scores are here.

The results offer parents, school leaders and policymakers a snapshot of how students are doing in core subject areas.

Our June Leffler has the data.

The 2025 2026 assessment results are in and reading scores went up.

The percentage of students at proficient or distinguished in reading increased across all grade spans, and fewer students scored at the novice level.

The assessment highlights year to year change, with across the board gains in reading and mixed results in other subjects.

Science performance continues to increase.

Very thankful for that.

When compared to prior years, particularly in elementary and high school settings.

While the social studies performance has remained relatively unchanged across the state, writing performance was mixed across grade levels.

But go back a few more years and the results are more promising.

Since 2022, many more students are getting higher marks at all levels in all subjects.

Nationwide, schools are still rebounding from the negative impacts of the Covid 19 pandemic.

Well, I will say that we're still not at that level of maybe the 1819 reading scores.

Let's be open about that.

Even if we go back to the 1819 scores, we're not happy with those that either.

We want more and more restaurants each and every year to be proficient in reading and keep growing.

So whatever the scores are, we're never going to be satisfied at KDE or nor should we be satisfied at the school level.

But I will say our rate of growth compared to other states is higher.

And the and the data will show you that.

Other highlights rates of graduation and college readiness are also up.

The report also names the 5% lowest performing schools in the state, known as Comprehensive Support and Improvement Schools, or Sis.

Of those 53 schools, nearly three quarters are in Jefferson County Public Schools.

Now, JK is the largest school district in the state, but the second largest, Fayette County Public Schools had no CSI schools.

Education Commissioner Rob Fletcher says districts should help each other out.

How do we connect those schools that may be defying the odds a little bit, or going against what the common scores are?

And how do we make sure that those type of practices are implemented in other areas?

State Auditor Alison Ball released her audit of GPS this year when testifying in Frankfort recently.

She highlighted low scores among the district's black students.

Those are deeply troubling.

Actually, they're heartbreaking numbers.

Jake educates nearly half of the state's black students.

However, this racial achievement gap is not any more apparent in GPS than it is in Kentucky.

Statewide, the percentage of black students scoring proficient or distinguished is 20 percentage points lower than the total average.

That goes for reading and math scores at the elementary, middle, and high school levels.

For Kentucky Edition, I'm June Leffler.

The Prichard Committee, a leading advocate for public schools like the improvement for economically disadvantaged, disabled and English language learners.

It didn't like the drop in kindergarten readiness.