Percent of 4th Graders Meeting State Reading Standard

Over the past several years, the 4th grade reading scores have trended down, both in Pierce County and the state as a whole.  The 2010/11 school year saw a slight uptick (1.12%) in the percentage of 4th graders meeting the reading standard compared to the year before.  4th grade reading scores have fallen 13% since the 2004-05 school year.  Pierce County, for the last several years, and in general scores better than the rest of the state. 

In the 2010/11 school year, 71.1% of 4th graders in Pierce County met the state reading standard, the second lowest percentage since the 2002/03 school year when only 68.7% met the fourth grade reading standard.  The highest percentage of 4th graders meeting the state reading standard occurred in the 2004/05 school year when 81.9% achieved the reading standard.

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Shown below is the percentage of 4th graders meeting the state standard in 2010/2011 by school district, compared to Pierce County as a whole as well as Washington State as a whole.  Pierce County fourth graders, on average, are slightly better than the state as a whole. Four of the school districts in Pierce County fell below the state average, an improvement when compared to the year before when six of the fifteen school districts fell below the state percentage.