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Latest standardized test scores show minimal improvement among Ontario students in math and literacy.Fred Lum/The Globe and Mail
Students in Ontario saw hardly any improvement in math, reading and writing in the 2025-26 school year compared to the year before, according to the latest standardized test scores.
Only 52 per cent of Grade 6 students in English-language schools met the provincial standard for math, a slight increase of one percentage point over the 2024-25 school year. Meanwhile, the percentage of students who met the standard for reading and writing remained unchanged, at 86 per cent and 85 per cent, respectively.
Among Grade 3 students, 65 per cent met the provincial math standard and 75 per cent met the standard for reading, for increases of one per cent in both subjects. In writing, 67 per cent of students met the standard, an increase of two percentage points.
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The data was released Friday by the province’s Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO), an arm’s length agency of the Ontario government. Students in Grades 3 and 6 are tested annually in reading, math and writing. Grade 9 students test in math, and Grade 10 students take a literacy test. The provincial standard is equivalent to a B grade.
This year’s results showed that Grade 9 students at English-language schools only saw an increase of one percentage point in math over the 2024-25 school year, to 59 per cent meeting standard.
Meanwhile, 86 per cent of Grade 10 students successfully passed the literacy test, up one per cent.
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Students in French-language schools fared relatively better in almost all areas.
The results show students are making progress in math and literacy remains strong, Education Minister Paul Calandra said Friday in a statement.
“These results are encouraging, but they also make clear that there is more work to do. Too many students continue to struggle, achievement gaps persist and results remain uneven across the province,” he said.
In March, Ontario appointed an expert advisory body to review student assessment and achievement across the province, including EQAO testing.
A final report will be made public when its review is complete.