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NLI Institute

Our Impact

Improving every
aspect of life

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For over 35 years, we’ve been changing lives through literacy. Our high-quality programs and resources help parents and children nationwide build literacy skills. Through our research and education initiatives, we drive multisector engagement in solving our country’s literacy challenge.

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Literacy is Key to Solving Everything  

Every Child A Reader

U.S. Literacy Statistics: 2026 Update

Improving every aspect of life. The National Literacy Institute changes lives through literacy. Our programs and resources help educators, parents and children across the country build strong reading skills. Through training, research and partnerships, we bring schools and communities together to solve America's literacy challenge.

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Literacy Is Key to Solving Everything

Every child a reader. More than 1 in 4 U.S. adults now read at the lowest literacy level, up from about 1 in 5 in 2017.

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Literacy is the foundation for full, productive lives, for individuals, communities and our nation. Yet 56% of U.S. adults read below a solid working level of literacy, and only 31% of fourth graders read proficiently. This challenge passes from one generation to the next. It touches today's most pressing issues, from economic growth and public health to community safety and civic life.

"Every page a child reads is a step toward their future. Literacy doesn’t just teach letters—it teaches possibilities."

Dr. Ingrid Haynes-Traylor

The teacher shortage, low academic standards, and unqualified people in classrooms as teachers are all issues plaguing the nation's education system. Dr. Ingrid Haynes-Traylor, Director of the National Literacy Institute, joins Dr. Phil on his Phil in the Blanks podcast to talk about what needs to be done to fix America’s broken education system.

The Teacher Shortage and the Classroom

The teacher shortage comes from several pressures at once: rising demand, trouble keeping teachers, and an aging workforce. It is also about the conditions teachers work in. Where disruptive behavior is common, teachers face more stress and burnout and are more likely to leave.

That makes classroom management, and the professional learning that builds it, central to solving the shortage. Teachers also need ongoing support, strong partnerships with families, and social-emotional learning woven into instruction.

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When the National Literacy Institute surveyed classroom teachers about why they leave the profession, classroom management ranked as the top concern. Teachers also named a lack of parent support, the demands of teaching content, social-emotional skills and motivation all at once, and students' heavy use of social media.

Teacher Shortage Areas, 2025–2026

Many districts struggle to recruit and keep teachers, especially in special education, bilingual education, computer science and career and technical education. In Texas, the U.S. Department of Education approved these shortage areas for 2025–2026:

  • Bilingual/English as a Second Language

  • Career and Technical Education (secondary only)

  • Computer Science/Technology Applications

  • English Language Arts and Reading (secondary only)

  • Special Education

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Literacy Statistics 2026
(Where we are now)

 

Literacy Statistics: Where We Are Now

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The ability to read and write shapes a person's career and life. Strong readers can reach a wide range of jobs, including highly skilled, well-paid roles. Adults with low literacy face sharply limited options, and even entry-level jobs can be hard to get.

Adults in the U.S.

  • 28% of U.S. adults read at the lowest literacy level (Level 1 or below), up from 19% in 2017.

  • 56% of U.S. adults score below Level 3, the level researchers often equate with a sixth-grade reading level.

  • Only 44% of U.S. adults read at a strong level (Level 3 or above), down from 48% in 2017.

  • The U.S. adult literacy score (258) is about the international average (260). Thirteen countries scored higher.

  • Raising all adults to at least a sixth-grade reading level could add an estimated $2.2 trillion a year to the U.S. economy.

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Students in the U.S.

  • Only 31% of fourth graders read at or above NAEP Proficient (2024).

  • 40% of fourth graders read below NAEP Basic, a larger share than in 2022.

  • About 1 in 3 eighth graders read below NAEP Basic, the largest share in the assessment's history.

 

Around the world

  • 739 million adults worldwide still lack basic literacy skills (2024).

  • The global adult literacy rate rose from 86% in 2015 to 88% in 2024.

  • 93% of young people ages 15 to 24 can read and write.

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Literacy and Poverty

Poverty and low literacy feed each other. In poor communities, schooling is often scarce, and struggling families may need children to earn income instead of attending school. Many of the countries with the lowest literacy rates are in South and West Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, where many of the world's poorest nations are.

There is also a gender gap. Women make up almost two-thirds of the world's adults who cannot read. The gap is widest in less-developed countries, where women are often expected to stay home while men work outside it.

Dumbing Down America
13:48
Americans Are Struggling to ‘Read At a Simple Level’
04:40

Sources

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