- Nearly half of Davao City learners classified as ‘struggling readers’
MORE THAN 4 in 10 grade-level learners assessed in Davao City to start the School Year 2026-2027 were classified as “struggling readers,” according to data from the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2).
The data was drawn from the Department of Education’s Comprehensive Rapid Literacy Assessment Beginning of School Year (BOSY) 2026-2027 covering grades 1-3.
Davao City’s 46% rate of struggling readers is slightly above the national figure of about 45%, based on 2,245,628 of 5,007,066 learners assessed nationwide.
However, it is below Region XI’s rate of about 48%, or 124,388 of 258,630 learners assessed.
The region had 12 percent of learners rated “Grade Level Ready,” with 30,322 learners, compared with 14 percent nationally.
Of the 83,559 learners assessed in the city, 38,228 fell under the “High Emerging” and “Low Emerging” categories, the two lowest of five reading levels.
Of these, 9,119 learners (11%) were “High Emerging,” and 29,109 (35%) were “Low Emerging.”
In Enclosure No. 2 to DepEd Memorandum No. 064, series of 2025, EDCOM 2 described what each CRLA reading profile says about a learner and the support each needs.
Learners in the “Emerging” profile, which covers both Low and High Emerging, are “just starting out” and know only a few letters and can sound out letters or syllables but cannot yet read whole words.
EDCOM 2 said they need “foundation support,” or systematic teaching of letter sounds (phonics) and letter recognition so they can form words.
Meanwhile, 22,319 (27%) were “Transitioning,” while 12,040 (14%) were “Developing.”
EDcom 2 said that “Developing” learners know some sounds and can read a few words or common phrases but struggle to read continuously. Teachers must play a bigger role so that reading simple stories becomes faster and more automatic.
Meanwhile, “Transitioning” learners read better than those in the Developing group, but are still sometimes inaccurate or slow, and they need extra reading practice to improve accuracy and speed.
Only 10,972 learners, or 13%, were rated “Grade Level Ready.”
EDCOM 2 refers to learners “Reading at Grade Level” who are strong in letters and sounds and can read various texts in their mother tongue (L1) and Filipino (L2) and are beginning to read in English (L3). More reading materials are needed to widen their vocabulary and comprehension.
