Literacy Crisis in the U.S.

By Sarina Smith

For about a decade, there has been a steady decline in reading skills, noted by the U.S. National Assessment of Educational Progress Long-Term Trend Reading Assessments. Recent factors like the pandemic and screen usage have been blamed as the cause, but there is no definitive correlation yet because the decline started in the mid 2010’s. Whatever the cause, higher literacy rates are a vital part of students' success.

According to the National Literacy Institute, as of 2025, 54% of adults in the U.S. had a literacy rate below a 6th grade level. This means that over half of U.S. adults struggle reading regular material, which shows that there is considerable need for improvement in our schools’ education programs.

Massachusetts in particular, a state with notably better education than many other U.S. school systems, is also struggling to stay ahead of the crisis. For example, The National Center for Education Statistics reported in 2025 that 60% of Massachusetts 4th graders are reading below their grade level and nearly half of Massachusetts public schools reported that they used “low-quality literacy curriculums". Improving these curriculums may seem out of our hands, but there are other ways to help out individually. In order to create change, it is crucial to make reading as accessible and appealing for children as possible. 

This crisis doesn't appear to be going away any time soon. On The Same Page’s mission is to provide as many books as possible to underprivileged children so that everyone is afforded the opportunity to enhance their reading skills. Even one donation makes a difference to those who deserve a chance at a better education.