Indiana Department of Education releases 2025 ILEARN results

INDIANAPOLIS - The Indiana Department of Education released the results of 2025 Indiana Learning Evaluation and Assessment Readiness Network (ILEARN) testing on Wednesday.




The results were unveiled during a State Board of Education meeting. This year's ILEARN showed that 40.6% of Indiana's students are at or above proficiency standards in English Language Arts (ELA). About 42% of Hoosier students are at or above proficiency standards in math.




From the 2024 ILEARN to the 2025 ILEARN, a .4% decrease in ELA proficiency was observed among Indiana's students in grades three through eight. In that same time, Hoosier students in grades three through eight increased their math proficiency by 1.2 percentage points.




Indiana established its ILEARN baseline in 2021. Since then, the IDOE has observed marked increases in math proficiency among students in grades three though eight. The department of education released the following figures that reflect the increase:

• Third grade: 2.8 percentage point increase since 2021





• Fourth grade: 5.5 percentage point increase since 2021





• Fifth grade: 2.9 percentage point increase since 2021





• Sixth grade: 6.7 percentage point increase since 2021





• Seventh grade: 5.4 percentage point increase since 2021





• Eighth grade: 6.7 percentage point increase since 2021

This year's ILEARN results show marginal improvement - and at some grade levels even some decline - in Indiana students' ELA proficiency:

• Third grade: 1.6 percentage point increase since 2021





• Fourth grade: 1.8 percentage point increase since 2021





• Fifth grade: 1.3 percentage point increase since 2021





• Sixth grade: 0.6 percentage point increase since 2021





• Seventh grade: 3.2 percentage point decrease since 2021





• Eighth grade: 1.2 percentage point decrease since 2021

The ILEARN baseline established in 2021 recorded the following ELA proficiency standards for Hoosier students in grades three through eight:

• Third grade: 38.7%





• Fourth grade: 39.6%





• Fifth grade: 39.5%





• Sixth grade: 39.9%





• Seventh grade: 41.1%





• Eighth grade: 43.9%

The baseline math proficiency standards recorded during the 2021 ILEARN are as follows:

• Third grade: 48.7%





• Fourth grade: 43.7%





• Fifth grade: 38.6%





• Sixth grade: 33%





• Seventh grade: 30.5%





• Eighth grade: 27.8%

IDOE also released year-over-year ILEARN data on Wednesday. That data showed the following increases and decreases from 2024 to 2025 in ELA and math proficiency:




MATH

• Third grade: 52.4% to 51.5%





• Fourth grade: 48% to 49.2%





• Fifth grade 40.8% to 41.5%





• Sixth grade: 38.1% to 39.7%





• Seventh grade: 33.9% to 35.9%





• Eighth grade: 31.4% to 34.5%

ELA

• Third grade: 38.6% to 40.3%





• Fourth grade: 41.8% to 41.4%





• Fifth grade 40.3% to 40.8%





• Sixth grade: 41.1% to 40.5%





• Seventh grade: 41.8% to 37.9%





• Eighth grade: 42.6% to 42.%

The IDOE also highlighted the strides Indiana's Black students have made in their math and ELA proficiency since the 2021 ILEARN baseline was established. Every year since 2021, the IDOE has observed increases in Black students' ELA and math proficiency.




In 2021, 11.6% of Indiana's Black students were proficient in math. This year, 19% of Black students in the Hoosier State were proficient in math. About 17.5% of Indiana's Black students were proficient in ELA in 2021. That percentage has since risen to 21.8.




Since 2021, Indiana's special education students have also improved their ELA and math proficiency. Four years ago, 13% of Hoosier special education students were proficient in ELA. About 14% of special education students in Indiana demonstrated proficiency in math.




During the 2025 ILEARN, 17.3% Indiana's special education students demonstrated proficiency in math. About 15% of special education students demonstrated proficiency in ELA in 2025.




Students who receive free or reduced-cost lunches in Indiana have also demonstrated improvements in their math and ELA proficiency.




In 2021, 25.9% of students on free or reduced-cost lunches were proficient in ELA. This year, 28% of students receiving free or reduced-cost lunches demonstrated proficiency in ELA.




About 22% of students receiving free or reduced cost lunches were proficient in math in 2021. Now, 28.6% of students enrolled in free or reduced-cost lunch programs have demonstrated proficiency in math.




"The literacy and numeracy skills developed in early grades are essential as students begin to explore career options, engage in hands-on learning, and ultimately, make decisions about their next steps after graduation," Indiana Governor Mike Braun wrote in a prepared statement. "While we continue to see students growing in math proficiency, this year's results remind us all of the need to continue our focus in both early and adolescent literacy."




This year, about 1,350 schools participated in a redesigned version of the ILEARN. Per a release, the IDOE has been reworking the ILEARN since January 2022 to "provide more actionable data throughout the year for students, parents/families and teachers."




The new version of the ILEARN features three checkpoints students most complete throughout the school year. Then, at the end of the school year, students complete a shorter summative assessment.




Per the IDOE, the checkpoints will "provide improved real-time student data to better support learning throughout the year, rather than waiting until the end of the year for results."




The department of education indicated that checkpoints are not punitive, but are instead used to guide students' leaning. If a student does not demonstrate mastery of particular subject during a checkpoint test, that student will receive additional instruction and then be retested.




Per the IDOE, all schools will participate in the new version of the ILEARN during the 2025-26 school year.




"While we are positively moving and improving in math, there is an urgent need to support middle school students in English/language arts," Indiana Secretary of Education Katie Jenner wrote in a prepared statement. "It is essential that our schools and parents/families continue to work together and stay laser-focused on increasing student learning and success. The new ILEARN Checkpoints, launching statewide in the upcoming school year, will provide a beginning, middle and end-of-year look at student performance. This will be key to knowing early and often if a student has mastered certain knowledge or skills, or if they may still be struggling, ensuring the student has increased, personalized support."




The IDOE also released data related to the administration of the SAT in Indiana. In 2025, 54.5% of Indiana's students demonstrated college readiness in evidence-based reading and writing. About 25.5% of Hoosier students demonstrated college readiness in mathematics.




Per the IDOE's data, 53% of Indiana's students were below the SAT's college-ready benchmark in mathematics. About 36% of Indiana's students were below the SAT's college-ready benchmark in evidence-based reading and writing.




In evidence-based reading and writing and math, about 9.2% and 21.6% of Indiana's students fell into the SAT's "approaching college-ready" benchmark.



via: https://fox59.com/indiana-news/indiana-department-of-education-releases-2025-ilearn-results/