Rhode Island School Results Show Small Math Gains and Continuing Reading Concerns
Rhode Island’s latest school results show modest movement in math, continued concerns about reading, and uneven progress across public schools.
The Department of Education released its 2026 assessment results and school accountability ratings on October 9. Rhode Island Current reported that about 32 percent of students in grades three through eight met or exceeded math expectations, compared with 31.4 percent last year.
English language arts proficiency slipped from 33.7 percent to 33.1 percent. Neither annual change was statistically significant, an important distinction when interpreting small differences. Rhode Island Current
The state’s assessment presentation also shows a sharper setback among high school juniors: 47.8 percent met the SAT reading and writing benchmark, down from 51.6 percent. SAT math performance changed little.
School ratings tell another part of the story. Sixteen schools earned the highest, five-star designation. Newly joining that group were Meadowbrook Farms in East Greenwich, Narragansett Elementary, Fishing Cove Elementary in North Kingstown, and Howard Hathaway in Portsmouth.
The ratings consider more than test scores, including student growth, graduation measures, and chronic absenteeism. Families should review those individual measures rather than rely entirely on a school’s overall star rating. ride.ri.gov
Education Commissioner Angélica Infante-Green emphasized sustained instruction and investments in reading, according to Rhode Island Current. The department has secured $40 million over five years for reading instruction, coaching, and intervention.
For parents, the release offers a starting point for conversations with classroom teachers: how is their child progressing, what support is available, and how will improvement be measured during the school year ahead?
