IAR Test Results 2026: Illinois Scores by Grade
The 2026 Illinois Report Card is out. Here are the statewide IAR test results in ELA and math for Grades 3 to 8, how each grade changed from 2025, and how to find your own school's numbers.
The Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) test results 2026 have been released, providing an overview of students' academic performance across Illinois. The annual assessment measures students' knowledge and skills in English language arts (ELA) and math.
The IAR results help parents, teachers, and school administrators understand how well students are progressing towards Illinois learning standards. They also highlight academic strengths and areas where students may need additional support.
Parents and students can use the IAR test results 2026 to learn more about academic performance and track educational progress. The released scores provide valuable insights into overall school and district performance across the state.
Key Takeaways
- ELA: 56.3% of Illinois students in Grades 3 to 8 were proficient in 2026, up from 53.1% in 2025 (+3.2 points).
- Math: 39.6% were proficient, up from 38.5% (+1.1 points).
- ELA rose in every grade, most in Grade 8 (56.7% to 63.1%).
- Math rose in Grades 6 to 8 but dipped slightly in Grades 3 to 5. Grade 8 math is still the lowest of any grade at 34.7%.
- Families saw their child's scores first: the IAR Family Portal opened on August 10, 2026. The Report Card adds school, district and state results.
- Next IAR window: March 1 to April 16, 2027 online; March 1 to April 2, 2027 on paper.
- IAR Test Results 2026 Released
- What Are the 2026 IAR Test Results in Illinois?
- How Did Each Grade Do in IAR ELA?
- How Did Each Grade Do in IAR Math?
- Can You Compare 2026 IAR Results With Earlier Years?
- Why Did Families See IAR Scores in August?
- How to Find Your School's 2026 IAR Results
- What to Do With Your Child's 2026 IAR Score
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Sources
IAR Test Results 2026 Released
- The Report Card shows spring 2026 IAR results in ELA and math for Grades 3 to 8, for the whole state, every district and every school.
- Families didn't have to wait for it. Each child's own scores have been in the IAR Family Portal since August 10, 2026.
- It's the second year under the cut scores Illinois adopted in August 2025, so 2026 is the first year that can be compared directly with the year before.
What Are the 2026 IAR Test Results in Illinois?
"Proficient" here means a student scored Proficient or Above Proficient, the top two of the four IAR levels. ISBE counts both when it reports the share of students meeting grade-level standards.
Statewide IAR Proficiency, Grades 3–8
| Subject | 2025 | 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| ELA | 53.1% | 56.3% | +3.2 |
| Math | 38.5% | 39.6% | +1.1 |
Some news reports quote 55.4% for ELA and 39.2% for math. Those are ISBE's "Overall" figures, which add the high school ACT tests and the alternate assessment to the IAR. The numbers in this post are the IAR alone, Grades 3 to 8.
How Did Each Grade Do in IAR ELA?
2026 IAR ELA Proficiency by Grade
| Grade | 2025 | 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 3 | 47.3% | 47.7% | +0.4 |
| Grade 4 | 51.2% | 55.8% | +4.6 |
| Grade 5 | 54.6% | 54.9% | +0.3 |
| Grade 6 | 54.3% | 58.7% | +4.4 |
| Grade 7 | 54.5% | 57.5% | +3.0 |
| Grade 8 | 56.7% | 63.1% | +6.4 |
Grade 3 is the only grade still below half proficient in ELA, at 47.7%. That's the first year children take the IAR, so it's also the first time many families see a state reading score.
How Did Each Grade Do in IAR Math?
2026 IAR Math Proficiency by Grade
| Grade | 2025 | 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 3 | 49.6% | 49.2% | −0.4 |
| Grade 4 | 42.5% | 42.0% | −0.5 |
| Grade 5 | 36.5% | 36.2% | −0.3 |
| Grade 6 | 32.7% | 36.3% | +3.6 |
| Grade 7 | 37.0% | 39.6% | +2.6 |
| Grade 8 | 32.9% | 34.7% | +1.8 |
- Grades 3 to 5: each grade moved by half a point or less, so elementary math stayed about where it was in 2025.
- Grades 6 to 8: every grade improved, but only about one in three students in Grades 5, 6 and 8 is proficient in math.
- Grade 3 vs Grade 8: 49.2% of third graders were proficient in math, compared with 34.7% of eighth graders. In ELA, the pattern runs the other way: Grade 8 is the highest at 63.1%.
If your child is in middle school, math is the subject to watch. See how Cuemath's 1:1 IAR math prep works.
Can You Compare 2026 IAR Results With Earlier Years?
Which IAR Results You Can Compare
| What you compare | Can you compare? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 vs 2025 proficiency rates | Yes | Both years use the same cut scores (732 to 745, by grade and subject) |
| 2025 vs 2024 proficiency rates | No | The proficient score dropped from 750 in August 2025. That alone raised ELA from 41.2% to 53.1% and math from 28.4% to 38.5% |
| 2026 vs 2024 or earlier rates | No | Earlier years used the old 750 bar |
| Scale scores, any year | Yes | The 650 to 850 scale didn't change |
| Growth percentiles, any year | Yes | The cut-score change doesn't affect growth percentiles |
Because 2025 and 2026 share the same cut scores, the 2026 gains of 3.2 points in ELA and 1.1 points in math reflect real changes in how students scored.
For the full old-vs-new cut scores by grade, read our guide to the new IAR cut scores.
Why Did Families See IAR Scores in August?
- The Family Portal, run by Pearson for ISBE, shows your child's ELA and math results and lets you download the Individual Student Report as a PDF.
- ISBE's schedule had printed Individual Student Reports reach districts by August 28, 2026.
- The Illinois Report Card never shows an individual student's score. It shows results for each school, each district and the whole state.
- If you never got a Family Portal login, ask your child's school, because schools hand out the access details.
How to Find Your School's 2026 IAR Results
- Go to IllinoisReportCard.com and type your school or district name in the search box.
- On the school's page, open Academic Progress in the left menu.
- Choose ELA Achievement Profiles or Math Achievement Profiles. The IAR bar shows the share of students who were proficient.
- Pick ELA Proficiency or Math Proficiency from the drop-down and switch to the IAR tab to see each grade, and add 2025 under Years to compare.
Small groups are hidden: if a group has fewer than 10 students, the Report Card shows no number for it.
What to Do With Your Child's 2026 IAR Score
- Find the weak skills. The readiness gauges on the Individual Student Report mark each skill area "Higher," "Middle" or "Lower." Start with the "Lower" ones.
- Check growth, not just the level. A Student Growth Percentile of 50 means typical growth. A child can stay at Approaching Proficient and still grow more than most classmates.
- Practice those topics in short sessions. Our free IAR math curriculum groups practice by topic and ends with two mock tests.
- Ask the teacher what the school's own tests show. NWEA MAP or i-Ready results from this fall are more recent than the spring IAR.
Need help reading the report itself? Our guide to IAR testing explains every part of the score report, and the cut scores guide lists the score needed for each level by grade.
Find the Math Skills Behind Your Child's IAR Score
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Frequently Asked Questions
When did the 2026 IAR test results come out?
ISBE released the 2026 Illinois Report Card, with statewide IAR results, on October 30, 2026. Families could see their own child's IAR scores in the Family Portal from August 10, 2026.
What percentage of Illinois students were proficient on the 2026 IAR?
56.3% of Illinois students in Grades 3 to 8 were proficient in ELA on the 2026 IAR, and 39.6% were proficient in math, according to the 2026 Illinois Report Card.
Did IAR test results go up in 2026?
Yes, IAR test results went up in 2026. ELA proficiency rose from 53.1% to 56.3%, and math rose from 38.5% to 39.6%. ELA rose in every grade, while math rose in Grades 6 to 8 and dipped slightly in Grades 3 to 5.
Which grade did best on the 2026 IAR?
Grade 8 did best in ELA at 63.1% proficient, and Grade 3 did best in math at 49.2%. Grade 8 math was the lowest result of any grade, at 34.7%.
Can I compare 2026 IAR results with 2024?
No, you can't compare 2026 IAR proficiency rates with 2024. Illinois lowered the IAR proficient score in August 2025, so rates from 2024 and earlier used a different bar. Compare scale scores and growth percentiles instead.
Where can I see my child's 2026 IAR score?
You can see your child's 2026 IAR score in the IAR Family Portal, which opened on August 10, 2026. Your child's school gives you the login details.
Does the Illinois Report Card show my child's IAR score?
No, the Illinois Report Card doesn't show any individual student's IAR score. It shows results for schools, districts and the whole state.
When is the next IAR test?
The next IAR window opens on March 1, 2027. Online testing closes on April 16, 2027, and paper testing closes on April 2, 2027.
Sources
- Illinois Report Card (ISBE), 2026: IAR ELA proficiency, statewide and by grade, 2025 and 2026
- Illinois Report Card (ISBE), 2026: IAR math proficiency, statewide and by grade, 2025 and 2026
- ISBE: Illinois Assessment of Readiness page (Family Portal opened August 10, 2026; reports to districts August 28, 2026)
- ISBE: Right-Sizing Illinois' Benchmarks for Proficiency FAQ, August 19, 2025 (why the cut scores changed)
- ISBE: 2026–27 Illinois State Assessment Dates
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