Michigan now spends over $23,000 per student in public schools, but the latest state test results show third grade reading proficiency has declined since 2019 despite new laws and increased investment.
Third graders in Michigan are falling behind in reading. The latest M-STEP scores for 2025-26 show 61.8% of third graders are not reading at grade level. That's worse than last year. It's a big jump from 55% in 2018-19. According to the Associated Press, this is the lowest third-grade reading result since the state test began 12 years ago. Nearly 62% of students can't read at grade level. State officials, including the Michigan Department of Education, admit the new literacy and dyslexia laws won't be fully in place until 2027. Change is slow.
Money keeps pouring in. New laws keep coming. But Michigan's reading crisis hasn't budged. When Governor Gretchen Whitmer took office in 2019, she promised to fix literacy. Now, as her second term winds down, the numbers have gone the wrong way. More spending. Fewer kids reading well. The Farmington Public Schools Board has talked about these trends in recent meetings. They say it's tough to match local plans with state rules.
Rising costs, flat results
State data shows Michigan's per-student spending jumped from $15,821 in 2018-19 to $23,867 for 2025-26. The 2026 education budget is $24.1 billion. Of that, $19.5 billion comes from the School Aid Fund. Per-student funding is now $10,050, up 4.6% from last year. The 2026-2027 budget adds $193.5 million for literacy and at-risk students. There's a $250 bump in per-student funding and a new weighted foundation allowance. In the last two years, Michigan spent $151.4 million on literacy materials. Another $50 million is planned for the next budget. Teacher training and literacy coaches are part of the package. The Michigan Department of Education tracks all these investments.
Officials say reforms need time. The department points out that new literacy and dyslexia laws, plus the Science of Reading approach, won't be fully rolled out until 2027. Some districts in Oakland County have started teacher training. But the department says students haven't seen the full effect yet. Both Farmington and Farmington Hills city councils have talked about these reforms in recent updates. They stress working with local schools to boost early reading.
State response and next steps
Education leaders in Michigan say the answer is to keep investing and stick with research-backed strategies. The department's spokesperson says the focus is to "put Students First" and notes both parties back the plan. The state superintendent wants to see steady gains in all subjects. He says test scores must get better over time. The Farmington Public Schools Board checks district data often and joins statewide talks on literacy. Their meeting minutes and annual reports show this work.
The state is doubling down on its current plan. But no one knows when results will show up. The department expects the new literacy laws to make a difference only after 2027, once everything is in place and teachers finish training. Local boards like Farmington are getting ready for new dyslexia screening rules. These start next school year as part of the state's phased rollout.
Broader context and ongoing challenges
Reading isn't the only problem. Chronic absenteeism keeps dragging down student achievement, as reported earlier. Absenteeism and flat test scores make it hard to move the needle, even with more money. Oakland County officials say absenteeism is still a problem in many districts. It hurts grades and long-term success.
Michigan's standards are supposed to get students ready for work, college, and life. But spending more hasn't fixed reading. The gap between rising costs and falling scores is clear. Farmington and nearby towns show that more money doesn't always mean better results. The state is betting on new laws and teacher training to turn things around. For now, families and teachers face the same problem: more money, but the reading crisis remains. The next few years will show if Michigan's latest reforms can finally help students catch up.
