What percentage of students in Austin Independent School District are proficient in reading?
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About 34% of 4th graders and 31% of 8th graders were considered proficient in reading in 2024, according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). The NAEP, also known as the Nation’s Report Card, assesses 4th and 8th graders’ progress in reading and math approximately every two years.
34%
of Austin Independent School District 4th graders were proficient in reading in 2024
31%
of Austin Independent School District 8th graders were proficient in reading in 2024
The NAEP uses a scale of 0-500 points to group 4th and 8th students into three achievement levels (basic, proficient, or advanced). "Proficient" is the benchmark used to describe students who demonstrate competency with challenging subject matter. However, NAEP proficiency is not the same as being on "grade level," which is often assessed by other state and district tests. More information on NAEP skill expectations at each grade level is available here.
In 2024, 12% of 4th graders in Austin Independent School District were advanced in reading and 22% were proficient, which means that about 2 out of 3 (66%) scored at basic or below. In 8th grade, 69% scored at basic or below.
In Austin Independent School District, 4th grade reading proficiency scores in 2024 were higher than Texas overall. 8th grade proficiency was also higher than the Texas average.
In 2024, the percentage of Austin Independent School District 4th graders at a proficient or advanced reading level was higher than the Texas average.
Percentage of students at each NAEP achievement level in 4th and 8th grade in 2024 in Austin Independent School District and Texas
How has reading proficiency changed over time?
From this point onward, “proficiency” includes students who were at or above proficient in reading (proficient and advanced students).
Among 4th graders, reading proficiency in Austin Independent School District was higher than Texas in 5 test years (2011, 2013, 2017, 2022, and 2024). In all other test years, there was not a significant difference between Austin Independent School District and Texas. Among 8th graders, reading proficiency in Austin Independent School District was higher than Texas in 3 test years (2017, 2019, and 2024). In all other test years, there was not a significant difference between Austin Independent School District and Texas.
Data are available in Austin Independent School District beginning in 2005.
Austin Independent School District 4th graders had a similar level of reading proficiency as Texas in 5 out of 10 test years
Percentage of 4th and 8th graders proficient in reading in Austin Independent School District, Texas, and the US, 2005–2024
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How do Austin Independent School District students compare to other districts in reading proficiency?
The NAEP collected data in 25 other large urban school districts in 2024. Austin Independent School District had 72,830 students enrolled as of the 2023-24 school year, making it the ninth-smallest district in this sample.
Among 4th grade students, Austin Independent School District had the sixth-highest reading proficiency rate compared to other districts. It was 5 percentage points lower in proficiency than San Diego Unified School District, the district with the highest rate (39%).
Among 8th grade students, Austin Independent School District had the second-highest reading proficiency rate compared to other districts. It was 6 percentage points lower in proficiency than San Diego Unified School District, the district with the highest rate (37%).
Austin Independent School District is sixth-highest in 4th grade reading proficiency and second-highest in 8th grade among the 26 districts tested
Percentage of 4th and 8th graders in each district who were proficient in reading in 2024
Why is there data for Austin Independent School District but not all districts?
The NAEP randomly chooses public, private, and charter schools from across the country and in each state and Washington, DC to participate in testing. This random process ensures that the test scores from students in these schools represent how the US and each state are performing as a whole. In addition to national- and state-level reporting, for several years the NAEP has also administered the test to a random sample of schools within 26 of the nation's largest school districts in 2024, of which Austin Independent School District was one.
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Methodology
USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.
Page sources
USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.
