Around 4.5 million learners who began the school year as struggling readers have moved up in proficiency, the Department of Education (DepEd) announced on Wednesday.

DepEd said learners are moving out of learning gaps by the end of School Year 2025 to 2026 based on results from the Comprehensive Rapid Literacy Assessment (CRLA), Rapid Math Assessment (RMA), and the Philippine Informal Reading Inventory (Phil-IRI).

Data show the number of struggling readers dropped sharply from 6.7 million at the start of School Year 2025–2026 to 2.2 million by its end. 

Learners who reached “grade-level ready” status or those capable of independent reading, grew from 3.3 million to 5.8 million within the same period.

Key Stage 1 learners (Grades 1–3) posted the sharpest improvement with a 33-percentage point reduction in struggling readers, followed by a 28-percentage point drop in Key Stage 3 (Grades 7–10) and a 16-percentage point decline in Key Stage 2 (Grades 4–6).

DepEd said the literacy gains are mirrored in numeracy, where learners classified as “not or low proficient” in Math fell nearly by half—from 13 million to 6.8 million. 

Early grade learners again led the recovery with a 46-percentage point decrease in emerging math learners.

While early grades recorded the biggest jumps, DepEd said it is intensifying efforts for junior high school learners, noting significant year-end improvements in both reading and math for Grades 7 to 10.

Angara said the next challenge is sustaining the gains by strengthening classroom instruction and protecting instructional time. 

The agency reiterated its push for systemic reforms, including a shift to the controversial hree-term school calendar, to ensure long-term improvements in learning outcomes.

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