MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin students made modest gains in literacy and mathematics during the 2025-26 school year, according to new statewide testing data released by the Department of Public Instruction (DPI).
Across the Wisconsin Student Assessment System, 48.4% of students in grades three through 11 were proficient or above in English language arts, while 48.7% were proficient or above in mathematics.
Among public school students specifically, 49.7% were proficient or above in English language arts and 50.2% in math. Students attending schools participating in Wisconsin’s private school choice programs posted proficiency rates of 30.2% in ELA and 27.3% in math.
DPI says reading proficiency increased in every grade tested on the Forward Exam compared with the previous school year. Math proficiency increased slightly among middle and high school students but declined slightly among elementary students.
“Wisconsin students continue to make steady progress, and we should be proud of that progress,” said State Superintendent Dr. Jill Underly. “At the same time, we know too many students are still not where they need to be.”
The results also showed some progress in narrowing longstanding proficiency gaps between Black and white students. The gap narrowed by 0.4 percentage points in ELA and 1.4 points in mathematics.
DPI says it is developing statewide literacy and mathematics plans aimed at providing additional support for students and educators.
