3rd Grade Reading by District

In Washington State, the Smarter Balanced Assessments measure math and English language arts in grades 3 through 8 and 10.

For the 2014-2015 school year, 61.6% of 3rd graders in King County met reading standards. In King County . . .

• School district: Mercer Island School District had the highest percentage of 3rd graders meeting reading standards at 83.3%. Highline School District had the lowest at 36.3%.

• Gender: Girls (66.6%) were more likely to meet reading standards than boys (56.8%).

• Race/ethnicity: White and Asian 3rd graders were more likely to meet reading standards than American Indian/Alaska Native, Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino, and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander students.

• Low-income:  3rd graders who qualify for free or reduced-price school meals are considered low-income, and were less likely to meet reading standards than 3rd graders who were not considered low-income (37.6% vs. 75.5%).

• Special education: Students in special education were less likely to meet reading standards than students not in special education (34.7% vs. 64.7%).

To examine disparities within a school district, click on that school district in the map above. Disparity details include:

• English language learners: Only 13.7% of 3rd grade English language learners in the Renton School District met reading standards compared to 42.4% in the Auburn School District.

• Special education: 17.0% in Kent vs. 42.9% in Lake Washington

• Low Income: The proportion of low-income 3rd graders who met reading standards varied from 22.2% in the Vashon Island School District to 57.9% in the Auburn and Shoreline school districts.