New data shows fewer than half of San Francisco’s third graders can read at grade level, according a presentation San Francisco Unified staff gave at the Aug. 25 board meeting. That's a decline from a few years ago, though an uptick from last year.
Superintendent Dr. Maria Su presented the preliminary literacy data and acknowledged that the numbers are not great.
“Some of the data, like I said, hurts our heart,” she said
The district hosts this data in a public dashboard, which Su said staff is working to make more user-friendly.
The numbers are significantly off SFUSD’s aggressive target: to get 70% of third graders reading proficiently by 2028.
That goal was originally set for 2027, but the district pushed the deadline back a year.
English Language Learners were the lowest-performing group, with just 10% reading proficiently.
The district says it’s trying different strategies to improve reading, including tracking reading instruction more closely and offering teachers professional development opportunities.
California will release the state’s finalized literacy data in the fall.
