Posted By: The Reporter December 9, 2025
In 2021, the General Assembly established the Student Learning Recovery Grant Program to help young Hoosiers falling behind academically during the pandemic. Funding from that program launched the first Summer Learning Labs in Indianapolis, led by The Mind Trust and United Way of Central Indiana. The Indiana Department of Education joined with The Mind Trust to expand the project statewide after it showed significant academic progress in its participating students.
That trend has continued. For the second consecutive year, students attending Summer Learning Labs achieved double-digit percentage point proficiency gains in reading and math. This year, more than 12,000 students in grades one through nine participated in the program in over 30 cities.
Among their achievements, all students scored 25 percentage points higher in English/language arts and 24 percentage points more in math. Black and Latino students both achieved those gains and students receiving free/reduced price meals scored 25 percentage points higher in math after completing the five-week program. All results from this year’s Summer Learning Labs are available here and more information on the program can be found here.
These results follow Hoosier third graders earning a nearly five percentage point increase in literacy rates on the 2024-2025 Indiana Reading Evaluation and Determination (IREAD) assessment and the state placing sixth in the country for fourth and eighth grade reading in the 2024 National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) rankings.
While there’s always more work to do, this is good progress. I’m so proud to see our students getting back on track academically and these investments in education paying off. Thank you, teachers, parents and education stakeholders, for helping to make these gains possible.
State Rep. Danny Lopez (R-Carmel) represents House District 39, which includes a portion of Hamilton County.
