54% of Americans read below the equivalent of a sixth grade level

[Silent Type]

2. Seriously bad. Did an AI search just because. Don't want trump involved "fixing" it, but our education system

is a failure unless sixth grade or so is considered success. Honestly shocked. Thanks for posting.

AI Overview
Yes, it is true that approximately 54% of U.S. adults (ages 16-74) read below the equivalent of a sixth-grade level, according to data from the U.S. Department of Education. This estimate suggests that about 130 million people lack literacy proficiency, which is linked to a variety of societal issues like poverty, poor health, and low economic mobility, notes the Barbara Bush Foundation.

Magnitude: The statistic refers to approximately 130 million adults in the U.S.
Source: This data comes from the U.S. Department of Education.

Impact: This low literacy rate is associated with negative outcomes in areas such as health, economic opportunity, and civic engagement.

Educational Context: While this statistic is often cited, some experts advise against direct comparisons between different international assessments and grade-level equivalencies.

Related Data:
43 million adults read below a third-grade level.
64% of fourth graders are not reading proficiently.

Over 85% of youth and 75% of prisoners read below a fourth-grade level.