Reading outcomes in Oklahoma schools, which have never been among the nation’s best, have become even worse in recent years.

But private-sector forces are working to fill the gaps.

In the Oklahoma City area, officials and volunteers with the Whiz Kids program are among those taking action to increase the literacy rate of area children.

“Our model is that we partner churches and elementary schools together,” said Amy Bruce, executive director of Whiz Kids.

First launched in 1996, all schools served by the Whiz Kids program are Title I schools, meaning those schools serve a large share of low-income students.

Led by volunteers, Whiz Kids primarily serves students in grades one through five, supporting those who are reading below grade level. Volunteers provide one-on-one mentoring and tutoring.

The program is conducted after school. The Whiz Kids program often provides transportation from school to tutoring and then transports the child home afterwards. (All Whiz Kid volunteers undergo background checks and training, among other safety protocols.)

The program includes a Bible lesson each session, along with food for the children, and an hour of literacy-building activities.

Last year, the program served 568 students from 27 elementary schools in eight school districts across the Oklahoma City area. Bruce said officials are working to expand the program to include additional school districts in the coming year.

The need for programs like Whiz Kids is significant and growing.

According to National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) tests administered in Oklahoma and nationwide in 2024, Oklahoma fourth-and eighth-grade students’ achievement in reading and math are now ranked among the nation’s worst.

In fourth-grade reading, only two states had average NAEP scores that were notably lower than Oklahoma in 2024.

Researchers say 10 points on a state’s NAEP scale score roughly equates to a year of learning. Oklahoma’s fourth-grade reading NAEP score has declined nine points since 2019.

Among economically disadvantaged students in Oklahoma, just 18 percent were proficient or advanced in fourth-grade reading on the 2024 NAEP test, compared to 46 percent of students who were not economically disadvantaged.

When Edunomics Lab analyzed states’ “return on investment” data from 2013 to 2024, tracking NAEP fourth-grade reading and eighth-grade math scores alongside per-pupil spending, they found in Oklahoma, “Reading 4th grade scores fell through the decade and continue to decline even as spending increased.”

“Since the pandemic, most of our students are below grade level in reading when they enter our program,” Bruce said.

However, during the 2024–2025 school year, 92 percent of Whiz Kids improved their reading scores, averaging a 40-point gain in reading scores over one year.

That’s a better gain than what occurs in most Oklahoma City area schools absent outside interventions like the Whiz Kids program. On average, about 70 to 80 percent of low-performing students experience reading gains in metro-area schools.

While a focus on phonics and the science of reading plays a role in student skill, Bruce said the most significant factor is the volunteers.

“The biggest thing that works with our program is that these kids are getting one-on-one attention from a caring adult that’s mentoring them,” Bruce said. “We know that that is the game-changer, having a consistent, caring adult, outside of the home, outside of the school, that shows up for them week after week and makes a meaningful difference. That’s what changes their school attendance, their school performance, their behavior. We see improvements across the board, usually, in all of those things with our Whiz Kids.”

The total number of students needing assistance is far greater than what Whiz Kids can handle with its current volunteer workforce. In the Oklahoma City Public School district alone, more than 10,000 students are eligible to participate in Whiz Kids but are not yet being served.

Individuals wishing to volunteer can do so at https://www.whizkidsok.org/volunteer.

“Our greatest need is for churches and volunteers to say, ‘Yes,’” Bruce said. “Because we can’t help a child unless we have a volunteer, because we’re one-on-one.”