An Award-Winning EdTech Platform

ReadWorks is a free, accessible solution built on results. Since the launch of our free resources nearly two decades ago to the release of our online platform more than ten years ago, five million educators and 30 million students have benefited from ReadWorks free resources. Educators trust ReadWorks for the original, substantial, and inspirational selection of choices within our library of reading passages. 
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​ReadWorks stands out in four key ways:
         (1) our evidence-based digital tools, features, and content;
         (2) our superb educator instruction guidance; 
         (3) our national reach; and
         (4) our mission as a nonprofit providing resources for FREE
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Each school year, ReadWorks is used by nearly 1 million educators and 11 million students in all 50 states, including those in 93% of the nation's lowest income K-8 schools–the population our mission is most focused on. 
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ReadWorks' Nationwide Reach

Below is a map of our nationwide reach for K-8 teachers using voluntary information provided by educators:

Supporting Low-Income Communities

Every student has the remarkable potential to be a joyful successful reader. We have always centered our development, improvement, and promotion of ReadWorks products and services with a focus on schools and districts with 75% free and reduced lunch income levels. It is important that our reading instruction comes to life through our library topics that support culturally responsive teaching, content for all Lexile levels and focuses on complexity of a text and not the ability of a reader or their background. 
Because of our strong desire to protect our users’ data privacy and stringent compliance with data privacy laws, we do not collect any personal student information, including race/ethnicity or socioeconomic status. We do, however, ask teachers where they teach, though filling out school information is not mandatory. We have voluntary school information for nearly 60% of our educators. 
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With this data, we know nearly 30% of all teachers in the highest-poverty K-12 schools use ReadWorks. In schools with the highest percent of Black and Hispanic students, 13% of all students use ReadWorks.

Using the NCES public school characteristics data set for all public and charter schools in the U.S, we have approximated our teacher penetration in low-income schools and our student penetration in Black/Latino-majority schools.
"ReadWorks is one of the best resources I've used in my 20 years of teaching! I use it 2-3 days a week...and our students have done an excellent job with it! Thank you so much for creating this valuable resource."

              -Gregory, Teacher, California

A Nonprofit Organization with a Mission

Our Mission

With a deep commitment to under-resourced communities, ReadWorks supports teacher instruction that builds the knowledge and vocabulary that drive students’ reading comprehension.

Our Vision

We envision a world where every student can read with understanding, purpose, and confidence. As a trusted leader, ReadWorks equalizes access to transformative instruction, serving as a bridge to greater possibilities for all.

Core Values

  • Impact and Equity
  • Diversity and Inclusion
  • Community
  • Quality
  • Empathetic Mindset

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Investing in literacy means investing in the future. For nearly two decades, ReadWorks has worked to ensure that every student, especially those in communities with limited resources, can read with understanding, purpose, and confidence. We know that to do this, it is essential that their teachers have access to proven tools, guidance, and high-quality materials.

Support in ReadWorks is support in: 
  • Providing free access to literacy materials and supports to educators and parents, effectively bridging opportunity gaps for their students;
  • Driving impact through data, partnerships, and content;
  • Leveraging technology and AI responsibly to enhance our products and practices; and
  • Amplifying ReadWorks expertise and research.

    See our 2024-2025 Annual Impact Report

Built on
​​the Science of Reading

The science of reading refers to a body of research from educational and scientific experts explaining how students learn how to read and the best practices for reading instruction.

​Two frameworks have been developed to demonstrate how we learn to read based on this research. The first is The Simple View of Reading which shows that language comprehension and decoding are both necessary for reading comprehension:
Fluent Word Reading * Language Comprehension = Reading Comprehension

​The second, Scarborough’s Rope (right), demonstrates how language-comprehension and its components of vocabulary, background knowledge, language structures, verbal reason, and literacy knowledge all weave together and intertwine with the word-recognition strands of phonological awareness, decoding, and sight recognition.

With classroom instruction built upon these components and materials designed on this foundation, every child can become a joyful and successful reader.

Growing through
Research and Impact

“At the beginning of the school year, I had a lot of reds, yellows [Approaching], and a couple of light greens [Proficient]. Then we progress-monitored, and by the end of the school year, even my resource students had improved, and that was just by implementing Article-A-Day.”
                                 - Mr. Haskie 
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Case Study:

Mr. Leon Haskie, implemented ReadWorks’ Article-A-Day in his classroom for eight months which resulted in:
  • Increase students’ motivation to read
  • Increase students’ reading fluency 
  • Supplement the standard curriculum materials
  • student engagement increased in the virtual classroom setting
  • students’ reading and writing production increased.
  • Overall, students' monthly standardized testing scores improved,
Read more about Leon and his students in this Article- A-Day case study. ​
Our research and evidence have led to meeting ESSA Tier 3 and being awarded Digital Promise's research-based design and learner variability product certifications. 

Our expert research staff continuously runs multidimensional research studies and partners with world-renowned institutional partners to assess our impact and guide product development so that we can apply the science of how diverse learners move toward reading comprehension to our offerings.
learn more about our research

High-Quality,
Diverse Content

ReadWorks’ library offers over 6,000 high-quality texts on a diverse range of subjects to complement every curriculum. Our Content team completes rigorous fact-checking and sensitivity reviews and works with world-renowned institutions to create original and long-lasting passages.
Along with our world-class texts, we have developed award-winning digital tools to help ensure each student receives individualized reading comprehension instruction based on their needs. Each tool is thoughtfully designed based on research, teacher-tested, and continuously improved to best serve teachers and students. 

Our partners include the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, the International Quilt Museum, the American Museum of Natural History, the New-York Historical Society, and more.

ReadWorks Through the Years