A majority of senior high school students are not meeting grade-level reading standards, according to new education assessment data, as officials warn that persistent literacy gaps are undermining the country’s basic education system.

Findings from the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM II) show a sharp decline in reading proficiency as learners advance through school, with only a small fraction reaching expected competency levels by senior high school. 

The commission said the pattern reflects a “systemic failure” in foundational literacy that begins in early grades and persists through Grade 11 and 12.

The report, which analyzed Department of Education assessment results, shows that only 12.58 percent of Grade 11 students are independent readers. 

It also noted that 58.9 percent of Grade 11 students scored at frustration level, while 28.5 percent required instructional support. 

Nearly nine in ten learners entering senior high also lack the reading proficiency needed to navigate its academic demands.

Education Secretary Sonny Angara said the data confirm what DepEd is seeing at the senior high school level, where many Grade 11 students can decode text but struggle to understand meaning.

“Mas importante yung pag-intindi. Kung hindi nila naiintindihan ang binabasa, hindi sila magiging handa sa trabaho o kolehiyo,” Angara said in an ambush interview.

EDCOM II warned that literacy gaps at the senior high school level are the result of unaddressed reading deficiencies in earlier grades, which worsen as academic demands increase. 

The commission said the issue affects performance across all subjects and weakens workforce readiness.

Angara said DepEd reforms in senior high school, including curriculum restructuring and subject reduction, will not succeed without strengthening foundational literacy. 

“Hindi lang memorization. Reading, writing, functional literacy — yan ang kailangan nating ayusin,” he said.###