Student achievement is on the rise across Trillium Lakelands District School Board (TLDSB) according to recent provincial testing in reading, writing and math, though it’s been more of a mixed bag in Haliburton County.
The province released Education Quality and Assessment Office (EQAO) testing results from the 2025-26 school year on Sept. 25. Exams are completed by students in Grade 3, 6 and 9, while results from last year’s Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test, completed by Grade 10 students, is also available.
“The latest EQAO scores from TLDSB are outstanding and are a direct reflection of the dedication of our students, as well as the relentless commitment of our educators and support staff,” said TLDSB board chair Colleen Wilcox.
Over the past five years, TLDSB has seen a marked increase in results boardwide. There has been a 14 per cent swing in the number of Grade 3 students reading at or above the provincial standard – 84 per cent last school year, up from 80 per cent in 2024-25 and 70 per cent in 2021-22. The provincial average was 75 per cent.
It was an even better story with early elementary writing and math, which saw 19 and 24 per cent increases. Last year, 76 per cent of TLDSB students were hitting provincial targets, up from 69 per cent in 2024-25 and 57 per cent in 2021-22. Math proficiency was 80 per cent, up from 72 per cent in 2024-25 and 56 per cent in 2021-22.
TLDSB students are outperforming the provincial average in both areas – 76 compared to 67 per cent for writing and 80 versus 65 per cent for math.
Numbers were largely static year-over-year for reading, writing and math at the Grade 6 level – with 87 per cent of TLDSB students at the provincial standard for reading, down from 89 per cent in 2024-25; 88 per cent for writing, up from 87 per cent; and 55 per cent for math, which stayed the same.
Chief executive officer, Wes Hahn, said there was a notable five-year improvement for late-elementary aged students – nine per cent in reading from 2021-22, 13 per cent in writing and 15 per cent in math.
High school results are also up, with a seven per cent change in math proficiency (52 per cent in 2025-26 from 45 per cent in 2021-22) and a five per cent swing in the number of students passing the literacy test – 83 per cent last school year, from 78 per cent in 2021-22.
“Over the past five years, TLDSB students have made considerable progress, which is evident in these scores,” Hahn said. “We routinely consider EQAO data, along with other information, to support decisions made to support student academic achievement. When we look at the continual improvement of these scores, we can see that TLDSB students are on the right track.”
There have been some big wins in the County – Stuart Baker Elementary School saw significant increases this year, with 64 tested. Reading proficiency increased to 82.8 per cent, up from 72.6 per cent, while writing increased 20 per cent to 79.7 from 59.7. Math results also increased, to 84.4 from 67.7 per cent.
J.D. Hodgson Elementary School also saw positive results. With 66 students tested, 95.5 per cent were reading at or above provincial standards, up from 86.4 per cent in 2024-25. Writing proficiency also increased to 89.4 per cent from 88.1 The one blemish was in math, which dropped to 53 per cent from 62.7.
Ten Grade 6 youth were tested in Wilberforce, with 80 per cent at the provincial standard for reading (down from 81.3), 100 per cent for writing (up from 68.8) and 30 per cent for math (down from 37.5).
It was a tough year for Archie Stouffer elementary in Minden, which saw decreases in five-out-of-six metrics.
In Grade 3, reading proficiency increased to 72.2 per cent, up from 58.3 per cent, though writing (52.8 per cent this year versus 60.4 last) and math (61.1 per cent versus 64.6 per cent) both dipped. There were 36 kids tested.
Fifty-five Grade 6 students were assessed, with reading results down to 72.7 per cent (from 89.5), writing at 69.1 per cent (from 81) and math at 34.5 per cent (from 49.1).
EQAO reported 123 Hal High students sat the literacy test last school year, with 83.7 per cent passing. That was above the board average of 82.6 per cent, but below the provincial average of 85.6 per cent.
