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Virginia’s kindergarten readiness rate rose from 51% in 2025 to 57% in 2026, with gains among several groups of underserved students. Still, about 43% of children did not meet the overall benchmark, and gaps remain by income, race, disability, language status and gender.
Virginia’s kindergarten readiness rate rose to 57% in 2026, up from 51% in 2025, but about 43% of children still fell below the overall benchmark, according to a state report. Gains included children from several underserved groups, while the report found continuing readiness gaps and called for earlier identification, more individualized support and additional teacher training.
The report, produced by the Virginia Department of Education and the University of Virginia’s Center for Advanced Study of Teaching and Learning, drew on Virginia Kindergarten Readiness Program assessment results. State lawmakers had directed the department and the university center to examine how the state’s preschool initiative supports school readiness. The report is dated Oct. 1.
Readiness improved among several groups: the reported rates rose by 7 percentage points for Latino children, 6 for Black children and 6 for low-income children. English learners gained 5 points and children with disabilities gained 4. Literacy readiness increased by six percentage points, while math readiness rose by two, according to the findings.
The report also identifies ongoing concerns. Children from low-income families, children with disabilities, multilingual learners, Black and Hispanic children, and boys were more likely to score below the overall readiness benchmark. It says some children have difficulty with self-regulation, managing emotions and interacting with others, areas the report treats as part of readiness alongside early literacy and mathematics.
Readiness Gains Leave Many Children Behind
The increase means a larger share of Virginia children began kindergarten meeting the state’s readiness benchmark, but the overall result still leaves roughly four in 10 children below it. Readiness can shape how children enter early reading and math instruction, making the persistent gaps relevant to schools, families and state policymakers weighing how to target early support.
Superintendent of Public Instruction Jenna Conway told the Mercury that entering school more ready can improve the likelihood that children will be on level in reading or math by the end of third grade. That is a rationale for the report’s recommendations, not a finding that the readiness increase itself has produced later academic gains. The report calls for follow-up assessments in grades 1 through 3 to track progress beyond kindergarten.
The results also point to a need that goes beyond academic measures. The report says social-emotional skills remain a concern, and recommends that schools address children’s well-being and social skills alongside literacy and math. How schools put that guidance into practice, and whether it narrows disparities, remains to be seen.
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State Review Links Preschool to Readiness
The review followed a 2020 finding by Virginia lawmakers that 44% of the state’s children entered kindergarten without literacy, math and social-emotional skills that lawmakers considered necessary for success, particularly for at-risk children. The new report uses kindergarten assessment results to inform how the state supports preschool and early learning.
A separate VDOE update released Wednesday reported progress in the Virginia Quality Birth-to-Five system, known as VQB5. The system was created by lawmakers to improve school readiness and help expand information and support for families and providers. Across 3,220 early learning sites serving more than 125,000 children, the average quality score reached 594 out of 800, while the number of sites requiring state intervention fell to 10, a record low, according to the department.
The VDOE and its partners credited the VQB5 results to investments, educator dedication and collaboration. The update also said affordability and access to quality child care remain challenges. These quality-profile figures describe early learning sites and are distinct from the kindergarten readiness rate; they do not by themselves establish why readiness changed.
Long-Term Results Remain Unmeasured
The reported changes show year-to-year movement in readiness, but the material provided does not establish what caused the gains or whether they will continue. It also does not include details on the assessment’s methodology, the number of children assessed, or uncertainty ranges around the percentage changes. The listed subgroup increases should be read as reported changes, not as proof that the disparities have closed.
It remains unclear how much the report’s recommended actions would cost, which proposals lawmakers may adopt, and how implementation would vary among school divisions and early learning providers. The VQB5 update reports improving site scores and fewer sites needing intervention, but does not explain the extent to which those measures are linked to individual children’s readiness. The state also has not reported the later reading and math results needed to test Conway’s stated expectation.
Lawmakers to Weigh Readiness Proposals
Virginia lawmakers are expected to discuss legislation related to the report’s recommendations when they return to Richmond in January, according to the source report. The proposals call for more frequent assessments during the school year, earlier identification of children who need help, and individualized instruction when gaps emerge.
The report also recommends stronger teacher training and support, more attention to social-emotional development, closer family-school partnerships and improved data reporting. It proposes strengthening preschool programs and assessments in grades 1 through 3 to follow children’s progress after kindergarten. Whether these recommendations become legislation, receive funding or lead to measurable changes in readiness has not yet been established.
Key Questions
What was Virginia’s kindergarten readiness rate in 2026?
The report says 57% of children met the overall readiness benchmark, up from 51% in 2025. About 43% did not meet it.
Which groups showed reported readiness gains?
The report lists increases of 7 percentage points for Latino children, 6 for Black children, 6 for low-income children, 5 for English learners and 4 for children with disabilities.
Which readiness gaps persist?
Children from low-income families, children with disabilities, multilingual learners, Black and Hispanic children, and boys were more likely to fall below the overall benchmark, according to the report.
What does the report recommend?
Recommendations include monitoring progress through the school year, identifying children who need support earlier, providing individualized help, improving teacher training, and addressing social-emotional development alongside literacy and math.
When might Virginia consider legislation?
The source report says lawmakers are expected to discuss legislation tied to the recommendations when they return to Richmond in January. The proposals’ status, funding and eventual implementation remain unclear.
Source: rss
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