A 2021 study investigating literacy rates at Winchester Thurston Upper School just released their findings: only 19% of Winchester students can read.

The study was created after concerns from the English Department reached the school administration. Members of the AP Statistics class developed and executed the experiment as a final project for the 2020-2021 school year. 

Despite the rigorous English and history curriculum at the school, it was determined that 81% of the student body can neither read nor write English, a shocking 4 out of every 5 students. 

In one of the study’s most revealing findings, it was disclosed that only two freshmen are proficient in reading. Freshmen advisors scrambled to develop a college-preparatory AP high honors reading seminar for the ninth grade class. 

Harry Burton, a senior and leader of Sigma Magazine, was shocked by the findings.

“I always see Winchester students reading books, but now I realize it was mostly acting. I guess this is why my English class discussions are always a bit lackluster.”

In a strategic move to increase reading levels, the Winchester Thurston administration has developed the 2030 Project, an initiative funded by the Board of Trustees and alumni donations. By the year 2030, the school hopes that 40% of Winchester students will be able to accurately understand The Very Hungry Caterpillar, a text by Eric Carle.

In the short-term, the school has developed a Reading Crisis Committee to implement alphabet practice in the Dorrance Library. Teachers have adjusted their curriculums to emphasize image-based textbooks and state-of-the-art digital material.

These plans, however, only slightly alleviate concern among members of Winchester Thurston High School.

“Instead of teaching students how to read,” an anonymous student remarked “we should shift to an all-STEM curriculum.” 

Teachers and students at Winchester Thurston Upper School are grappling with these results and their implications. As of now, widespread low literacy rates will continue to afflict the school. 

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