According to the 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) scores, Georgia ranks 28th in the nation in 4th grade reading proficiency. To bring attention to Georgia’s literacy crisis and in celebration of Georgia Reads Day, leaders in government and education gathered at the Georgia State Capitol to recognize the 2025 Georgia Reads Community Award winners and READBowl Champions.

Hosted by the Georgia Council on Literacy, the Georgia Reads Community Award is designed to unify and empower the fragmented literacy ecosystem, guiding it toward a new era of understanding. At the event, Georgia Reads recognized 10 communities with at least a three-year partnership and proven literacy improvements and provided them with $25,000 to bolster their literacy efforts. Additionally, each school will be recognized locally in March and April and will participate in a Reading Rally led by Malcolm Mitchell, CEO & Founder of the Share the Magic Foundation, who also serves as the Georgia Reads Coach.

The 2025 Georgia Reads Community Award winners include Believe Greater Dalton, Ben Hill School District, Black Child Development Institute-Atlanta, Charlton County Board of Education, Cobb Collaborative, Inc., Dooly County Schools, Lamar County School System, Marietta City Schools, Read Source & Purpose-Built Schools of Atlanta, and RISE Augusta.

The READBowl is a free global reading competition encouraging early learners, elementary, middle, and high school students to participate. The state champions are recognized as the classrooms with the highest average reading minutes at the culmination of the competition. During this year’s competition, there were 61,149,850 minutes read by 128,018 Georgia students.

The 2025 READBowl winners include classrooms from Waynesboro Primary School, David L. Ranier Elementary School, Albany Middle School and Chattahoochee County High School.

Georgia Reads partnered with the Professional Association of Georgia Educators, Georgia Municipal Association, GeorgiaFoward, and Share the Magic Foundation for today’s event.

“Literacy is the foundation for lifelong success, and thanks to the hard work of these local leaders alongside the Council’s efforts, we are making meaningful progress. I’m proud to support the Georgia Council on Literacy and to celebrate the 2025 recipients of the Georgia Reads Community Award. These outstanding communities have shown incredible dedication to improving literacy and creating greater opportunities for children and families across our state,” shared Burt Jones, Lt. Governor.

“Improving literacy outcomes for Georgia’s students has been, and will continue to be, a top priority for the members of the House. We’re proud to support the Georgia Council on Literacy, along with the communities receiving the 2025 Georgia Reads Community Award, who are leading the way in this critical effort. By championing literacy measures at every level—from the General Assembly to local
communities—we are making real progress to ensure every child in Georgia has the tools they need to  succeed,” added Jon Burns, Speaker of Georgia’s House of Representatives.