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LPOSD and WBCSD see major increases in spring Idaho Reading Indicator

JACK FREEMAN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 9 months AGO
by JACK FREEMAN
| July 31, 2025 1:00 AM

SANDPOINT — The Lake Pend Oreille and West Bonner County school districts both saw significant improvement in their Idaho Reading Indicator scores over the past year.

The test is administered twice every school year to all kindergarten through third grade students who attend public schools in the state. This is the seventh year of the test, which helps educators in the state better understand the needs of students 

Students who take the test are divided into three categories: those who can read at grade level, near grade level or below grade level. The state average of students who can read at grade level increased over 5% since last spring, with both districts seeing similar improvements. 

“These results suggest that the investments being made statewide around literacy funding and training are paying off,” Superintendent of Public Instruction Debbie Critchfield said in a press release.  

The LPOSD’s overall reading comprehension scores increased by 4.6%, with 79% of students reading at grade level. More impressively, LPOSD ranked second in the state of kindergarteners who can read at grade level, with 92.7% of the students hitting the grade level mark.  

That mark is a significant increase from last year’s results where only 77% of LPOSD kindergarteners read at grade level. The district only trailed behind the Idaho Arts Charter School, Inc. which had 95% of their kindergarteners reading at grade level.  

The WBCSD saw a much larger increase in its at grade level reading, jumping 6% overall from last year. The district also shrank its overall percentage of students reading below grade level by almost 5%, bringing the district’s overall score much more in-line with the state average. 

“This achievement should serve as an example of what’s possible when attention and resources are focused on an area of need,” Critchfield said. 

    A graph of the results for kindergarten students at the Lake Pend Oreille and West Bonner County school districts on the Idaho Reading Indicator test compared against the Idaho state average.
 
 


    A graph of the results for first grade students at the Lake Pend Oreille and West Bonner County school districts on the Idaho Reading Indicator test compared against the Idaho state average.
 
 
    A graph of the results for second grade students at the Lake Pend Oreille and West Bonner County school districts on the Idaho Reading Indicator test compared against the Idaho state average.
 
 
    A graph of the results for third grade students at the Lake Pend Oreille and West Bonner County school districts on the Idaho Reading Indicator test compared against the Idaho state average.
 
 


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