Literacy is a primary focus because it establishes a core skill that young students will continue to build throughout their academic careers and use for the rest of their lives.

"The old saying is, 'From K-3 we learn to read, and from fourth grade on we read to learn,'" North Idaho STEM Charter Academy founder and Executive Director Scott Thomson said Monday. "It’s not just the literacy, which is reading for enjoyment, but we need to learn to read in the content areas — math, science, social studies and language arts. We’ve got to learn to read critically. When we learn how to read well at a young age, we can learn how to read and think critically as young adults."

At 90%, North Idaho STEM Charter in Rathdrum has the highest reading proficiency rate of any school district or charter in the state. The data are from the new iteration of the Idaho Reading Indicator, administered in October 2025 to 210 STEM Charter students in kindergarten through third grade.

The IRI is an early literacy assessment given to K-3 students throughout the state to identify those who may be at risk for dyslexia or need additional support. The test informs targeted interventions to improve literacy outcomes, according to the Idaho State Department of Education. The IRI results were published in the Jan. 22 issue of The Press.

STEM Charter is No. 1 in the state overall and the No. 1 charter for proficiency in Idaho Education News' Jan. 16 "Top 10 lists: See who fared best on the new reading test" article.

"We’re very pleased, but it’s not a one-time thing. It’s years of work," Thomson said. “It's hard work and dedicated teaching that focuses on making sure kids know how to read. It's supportive parents; you have to have parents that want what we offer, and what we offer is hard work and results.

"I’ve never seen it not work when we all work together. We’re very, very pleased with that. It is a testament to the dedication of a lot of people."

Second-grade teacher Michelle Breitkreutz has taught at STEM Charter since it opened in 2012. She said consistency, collaboration and keeping kids on task are all factors in the school topping the charts for K-3 literacy.

"From the very beginning in kindergarten, we’re all working very hard with the kids and it’s very rigorous. We do not let up. I think that's just amazing," Breitkreutz said. "We’re very intentional in making sure the kids are getting what they need."

Right now, Mary Pope Osborne's "Magic Tree House" books are trending in Breitkreutz's classroom.

"Most everybody has one of those chapter books in the middle of their table to be able to read," Breitkreutz said. "All of them love to read."

Her students are eager to raise their hands and read aloud during group sessions, even the students who are struggling.

"I didn't always want to raise my hand to read," she said. "These guys are like, ‘Oh please let me read!'"

Literacy, which includes reading, writing, vocabulary, reading comprehension and critical thinking, is a skill these little ones will take with them throughout life.

"To get them ready for the real world, they need to be able to read to get through any profession they want to go to," Breitkreutz said. "It opens up a lot more doors for them, just being able to look at anything and being able to problem solve. Their reading takes them everywhere because it's in everything."

Breitkreutz praised the no-nonsense culture of STEM Charter, which allows students to focus and educators to do their jobs with minimal disruptions in a respectful environment.

"I just feel so blessed to be here," she said. "I've been to other schools where that isn’t the case. The kids have an advantage here.

"These little people are very important, and they're our future."

The Coeur d'Alene School District made the top 10 list of the largest 10 districts or charters, ranking No. 6 with a proficiency rate of 56.7% and 2,570 test takers.

Proficiency rate and number of fall 2025 IRI test takers at other Kootenai County school districts and charters:

• Hayden Canyon Charter: 47.6%, 233
• Kootenai: 59%; 61
• Lakeland Joint: 61.6%; 1208
• Plummer-Worley: 15.4%; 91
• Post Falls: 57%; 1,707