New Lexia Survey Reveals COVID-Era Kindergarteners Enter School With Weaker Literacy, Attention, and Social-Emotional Skills

Findings signal a critical need for early literacy support, family engagement, and targeted intervention

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Lexia, a Cambium Learning Group brand, today released findings from a national survey revealing that the first full cohort of children born during the COVID-19 pandemic entered kindergarten with markedly weaker school-readiness skills. The new data shows widespread declines in foundational literacy, attention, and social-emotional development—trends educators say represent one of the most significant early-learning challenges they have faced in years.

The survey, deployed in October 2025 through Lexia’s Voice of the User platform and an opt-in educator research panel, gathered responses from more than 200 kindergarten teachers using Lexia Core5 Reading or Lexia English Language Development.

Educators’ responses point to several notable patterns in early learning readiness.

Foundational Literacy Skills Are Lagging

• 73% of teachers say kindergarteners are behind in early literacy.
• Biggest gaps: letter sounds, letter recognition, writing letters/names, vocabulary.

Social-Emotional Readiness Is Lower

• 82% say students are less socially-emotionally ready, especially with sharing, collaboration, and emotion regulation.

Attention Spans Are Shorter

• 89% report shorter attention spans during reading; two-thirds say much shorter.

Confidence Has Declined

• More than half say students are less confident participating in reading activities.

Educators also identified the supports they believe would most strengthen early literacy foundations for today’s kindergarteners, emphasizing the need for greater family engagement in reading, more vocabulary and oral language development, explicit phonics practice, and increased small-group or one-on-one instructional time. They also highlighted the program features they find most helpful in meeting these needs, pointing to personalized instruction, clear progress-monitoring tools, and engaging content that keeps young learners motivated.

“These findings confirm what many educators are feeling in their classrooms: today’s kindergarteners are entering school with dramatically different needs than cohorts before the pandemic,” said Nick Gaehde, president of Lexia. “As students face gaps in foundational literacy, attention, and social-emotional skills, teachers need solutions that provide structure, personalization, and ongoing visibility into progress. For example, last year, in a large suburban district, as more than 6,700 kindergarteners progressed in Lexia, they scored higher on their language and literacy screenings—a result that underscores our commitment to providing research-aligned tools educators can trust."

About Lexia
Lexia, a Cambium Learning Group brand, is transforming literacy education, driving change in 1 of every 3 school districts across the United States. For more than 40 years, Lexia has been a thought leader in literacy education, delivering award-winning, research-based solutions grounded in the science of reading. With a full spectrum of offerings, including professional learning, curriculum, and embedded assessment tools, Lexia provides educators with Structured Literacy solutions that are proven effective and designed to drive meaningful literacy outcomes. By empowering educators with unparalleled ease of use and the knowledge and tools they need, Lexia helps more students unlock their potential to read, write, and speak with confidence. For more information, visit lexialearning.com.

About Cambium Learning Group
Cambium Learning Group is the education essentials company, providing award-winning education technology and services for K-12 educators and students. With an intentional collection of respected global brands, Cambium serves as a leader, helping millions of educators and students feel more seen, valued, and supported every day. In everything it does, the company focuses on the elements that are most essential to the success of education, delivering simpler, more certain solutions that make a meaningful difference right now.

To learn more, visit www.cambiumlearning.com or follow Cambium on Facebook, LinkedIn, and X. The Cambium family of brands includes: Cambium Assessment, Lexia, Learning A-Z, ExploreLearning, and Time4Learning.