State Superintendent Chris Reykdal Unveils New Student Achievement Data and Budget Priorities

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OLYMPIA—September 10, 2026—In a press conference from the Old Capitol Building in Olympia today, State Superintendent Chris Reykdal shared new student achievement data from the 2025–26 school year and previewed his 2027 budget priorities for the Governor and Legislature.

In his remarks, Reykdal shared new data from the 2025–26 school year and provided a comprehensive view of student learning recovery since the COVID-19 pandemic. He also shared how the state, schools, students, and families can support continued student achievement.

New Student Achievement Data

Earlier this week, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) released new data from the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), an assessment of 15-year-old students’ knowledge and skills from 91 global countries and economies.

The PISA data show a continued, troubling trend: Student achievement in math and reading across the globe has been progressing downward for nearly two decades. 

“We have seen the impacts of smart devices and social media becoming more widely used among teenagers starting in the early 2000s,” Reykdal said. “With the continued increase in screen time, young people aren’t reading as much as they used to, their attention spans are shorter, and they are losing focus in class. Around the world, performance on traditional assessments is declining. The way that students learn and understand the world around them is evolving.”

As student performance across the globe continues trending downward, Washington students continue to perform on par with or better than their peers across the United States, based on the most recent results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP).

The state tests in Washington, which are administered each spring in grades 3–8 and 10 and are required by the federal government, are designed to assess whether a student is on track for college level learning without needing remedial courses. Statewide, student assessment scores from last spring have remained steady when compared to the previous school year.

Achievement levels on the state assessment represent a range of performance. Three of the four achievement levels indicate grade-level knowledge and skills, with a range of complexity and consistency. 

Across all grade levels, 73.7% of students demonstrated foundational grade-level knowledge and above in English language arts, and 66.5% of students demonstrated the same in math. 

Bar chart showing student performance relative to grade level standards in 2026
Source: Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction

In addition to stable performance on state tests, both student attendance rates as well as the percentage of ninth graders passing all their classes showed improvement. Students who attend school regularly typically earn better grades, perform better on tests, and face fewer behavioral challenges. Students who pass all their classes in the ninth grade are significantly more likely to graduate on time. 

In addition, the percentage of students completing more traditional dual credit programs (i.e., Advanced Placement, College in the High School, Running Start, International Baccalaureate, and Cambridge International) are continuing to increase, although the percentage of students completing Career and Technical Education (CTE) Dual Credit decreased slightly.

2027 Budget Priorities

“For nearly two decades, and especially during the pandemic, we have seen impacts on student achievement across the globe,” Reykdal said. “Washington students have made progress, and we have a lot to be proud of. However, schools statewide are pushing forward with fewer resources, especially against the backdrop of high inflation, as the state continues to underfund its basic education obligation.”

“Without significant investments and a renewed commitment by the Governor and Legislature, our progress is at risk,” Reykdal continued. “With our state’s affluent economy, it is inexcusable that schools are being forced to choose between paying their insurance bills or laying off the teachers and paraeducators that support the student learning and progress we expect.”

In the upcoming legislative session, Superintendent Reykdal will be requesting the Governor and Legislature to fully and amply fund the state’s program of basic education as required by the Washington State Constitution and State Supreme Court. 

When the state does not meet its obligation to fund public schools, school districts are forced to close the gap by reducing the programs and opportunities they offer students and/or using local levy funds, which are intended to be for supports beyond the basics.

The Superintendent’s proposal for the state to reprioritize basic education is built from the recommendations of the legislatively established K–12 Funding Equity Workgroup, which met consistently over the last year and represented various perspectives. This proposal would: 

  • Fund the continued increases in costs for supplies, utilities, and operations;
  • More adequately fund the costs of substitute teachers;
  • More appropriately pay for student transportation to and from school; and 
  • Begin to address the woefully insufficient salaries provided to education support professionals like paraeducators, who turn over at much higher rates than other staff positions within schools.

In addition, Reykdal’s requests would restore the shortsighted cuts the Governor and Legislature made in 2025 to the highly effective Transition to Kindergarten program, and fund professional development in math for elementary teachers. 

Finally, the requests would redesign the formula for distributing additional resources to support students experiencing poverty, ensuring a more even and reliable distribution of these critical dollars. 

"We want to drive more resources into the communities and students that need them the most," Reykdal said.

Recognizing the state’s current structural budget deficit—but not allowing Washington’s students and neighborhood schools to continue bearing the brunt of the Governor and Legislature’s financial decision-making—most of Reykdal’s proposals would phase in over the next four years.

“Student outcomes tell us where we are delivering on the promise of public education and where we need to improve,” said Jeff Snell, Executive Director of the Washington Association of School Administrators. “Washington’s school leaders accept that accountability, and we believe it must be reciprocal. Rising costs and persistent underfunding are forcing districts to make difficult choices that reduce opportunities for students. High expectations must be matched by the resources necessary to help every student succeed. Washington’s future is being built in our public schools every day. When we invest in students, we invest in the hope, opportunity, and stronger communities that benefit us all.”

In support of Superintendent Reykdal’s request to provide a living wage, Washington state labor leaders provided the following statements:

“Education Support Professionals who do the hard work of supporting our most vulnerable students should not need a second or third job to get by,” said Janie White, President of the Washington Education Association. “It’s past time for Washington to support our students by supporting the professionals who help make their success possible.”

“Classified school employees keep our schools running and support students every day, yet too many are struggling to afford basic necessities,” said Heather Christianson, President of Public School Employees of Washington/SEIU 1948. “For years, their wages have failed to keep pace with the rising cost of living. Superintendent Reykdal’s proposal recognizes what our members have been saying for far too long: Washington must do more to ensure the people who serve our students can afford to support their own families.”

“As school-related personnel in our state’s preK–12 public schools, we support Superintendent Reykdal’s request,” said Kari Madden, Melissa Roach, and Carla Powell, leaders within the American Federation of Teachers Washington. “We work hard every day to provide a safe, clean, nutritious, caring, educational environment for our students. We educate, support and care for our students. We prepare the meals, type the documents, clean the rooms and hallways, keep students safe, drive the buses, tend the grounds, file the records, and maintain the machinery, among other vital work – all while also supporting students. We are the backbone of our schools. Superintendent Reykdal’s proposal is an overdue step in the right direction and we support it.”

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