See which Alabama schools lead — and lag — in third-grade reading
New state data shows most Alabama third graders are reading on grade level, but significant gaps persist between schools.
Mason Reed 
New data released on June 11 by the Alabama Department of Education reveals that while the majority of the state's third graders are reading at grade level, academic performance remains inconsistent across individual schools. During the 2025-26 school year, 88.2% of the more than 54,000 students who took the Alabama Comprehensive Assessment Program spring reading test met or exceeded the benchmark score of 444 required for promotion to fourth grade.
In accordance with the Alabama Literacy Act, students scoring below this threshold are provided with intensive intervention services, such as summer reading camps, to help boost their skills. You can check the specific reading proficiency percentages for your local school using the interactive table below.
[Can’t see the chart? Click here.]
Statewide Performance and Standouts
Of the 691 schools included in the assessment, 34 achieved a perfect 100% proficiency rate. Mobile County Public Schools led the way with four schools hitting that mark: Old Shell Road Magnet School, Eichold-Mertz School of Math and Science, Cora Castlen Elementary School, and W.H. Council Traditional School. Across the entire Mobile County system, approximately 85% of third graders met the benchmark, as detailed in our recent district-level breakdown.
Elsewhere in the state, Mountain Brook City Schools saw both Brookwood Forest and Cherokee Bend elementary schools reach 100% proficiency. In Birmingham City Schools, Princeton School hit the 100% mark, followed by South Hampton K-8 (97.8%) and Epic Alternative School (96%). Meanwhile, Hoover City’s Bluff Park Elementary recorded a 99% success rate, and Columbia Elementary in Madison City achieved 99.2%.
Regional Trends and Challenges
Fairfield City schools saw the state’s largest improvement, marking a 13.3 percentage-point gain from the previous year, with Glen Oaks Intermediate School reporting 86.9% proficiency. Conversely, some districts faced steep declines; Choctaw County and Selma City both saw their passing percentages drop by more than 10 points year-over-year.
Variations persist even within the same systems. For example, while Montgomery County’s Forest Avenue Elementary and Macmillan International Academy hit 100%, schools like Chisholm Elementary and Nixon Elementary reported results in the 50% range. Similarly, in Birmingham, Inglenook Elementary saw 52.5% of its students meet the benchmark, while Huntsville’s McDonnell Elementary reported 63% proficiency compared to the district-high 97.8% at Mountain Gap Elementary.
RELATED: Alabama third grade reading scores are in. How did your district fare?
