Blackford County Schools IREAD Scores Improve for Third Straight Year
From Indiana Department of Education IREAD results reported August 26, 2026
Blackford County Schools' IREAD passage rate has improved for the third consecutive year, with the district scoring above the state average on Indiana's third-grade reading assessment.
The IREAD test — Indiana Reading Evaluation And Determination — measures whether third graders are reading at grade level. Blackford County's passage rate was 72.5% in 2023 and has climbed each year since. The state's overall passage rate also improved, marking its fifth straight year of gains.
The results are a bright spot for a district facing headwinds. Blackford County Schools enrolled 1,350 students this year, down 30 from the prior year, with just 83 kindergartners — a record low.
Source: Hartford City News-Times, "IREAD scores make leaps" by Ray Cooney
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