GOSHEN, IN – Goshen Community Schools is celebrating its highest IREAD-3 pass rate since the state assessment began in 2019, highlighting a significant upward trend in reading achievement and the collective efforts of students, families, teachers, staff, and school leaders across the district.

During the 2025–26 school year, 85.1% of GCS third-grade students passed IREAD-3, with 360 of 423 students demonstrating proficiency.

The record-setting result follows two consecutive years of substantial improvement. GCS recorded a 70.7% pass rate in 2023–24, which increased to 78.4% in 2024–25 before climbing to 85.1% in 2025–26. In just two years, Goshen's pass rate has increased 14.4 percentage points.

The progress can also be seen across all six GCS elementary schools, with each school posting a higher IREAD-3 pass rate than in 2023–24. Several schools experienced especially strong gains, including West Goshen, which increased from 56.2% to 89.9%, Waterford from 72.6% to 90.0%, and Parkside from 72.5% to 90.4%. The districtwide growth reflects teams working together across buildings to share strategies, support students, and strengthen literacy instruction.

“This is an accomplishment that teams across our entire district should be proud of,” said Superintendent Jim DuBois. “What is especially encouraging is that this isn't just one strong year. We have seen significant growth for two consecutive years, and that speaks to the intentional teamwork happening throughout GCS. Teachers, staff, school leaders, students, and families have worked together toward a common goal, and we are seeing the results of that commitment.”

IREAD-3 measures foundational reading skills and serves as an important indicator of students' literacy development. GCS' improvement reflects an ongoing emphasis on strong literacy instruction, targeted student support, and teamwork among teachers, instructional staff, and building leaders to meet the needs of each student.

“We are incredibly proud of this progress, and our elementary principals deserve tremendous credit for the leadership they have provided throughout this work,” said Mr. Javier Jimenez, Assistant Superintendent of Elementary Education. “They have helped build strong teams within their schools, supported their teachers, and kept student growth at the center of their work. We have tremendous momentum, but our work is not finished. We will continue working together and building on what is successful to support every learner.”

Goshen Community Schools congratulates its students, teachers, staff, principals, and families on this historic achievement and the teamwork that made it possible.