Reading benchmarks · by grade
Second grade reading benchmarks
In 2nd grade, reading gets faster and smoother as longer vowel patterns and two-syllable words come in. The middle 2nd grader in the published norms reads 50 words correct per minute at the start of the year, 84 in the middle and 100 at the end. The Dolch second grade list has 46 words.
2nd grade benchmarks
Figures from the published fluency norms and the Dolch lists. Each line says where it comes from.
- Fluency midpoint, end of year
100 words correct per minute (50th percentile, spring)
Hasbrouck & Tindal (2017). The full table by season is below.
- Dolch second grade list
46 words
Usually taught: second grade. Most can be sounded out, so phonics and sight words grow together.
- How US schools check
No national check: state screeners instead
Most states screen early readers during the year with tools such as DIBELS or Acadience, which look at letter-sound fluency, nonsense-word reading and oral reading fluency. Ask the school what their screener shows; you don't need a result from this page to ask.
| Percentile | Fall | Winter | Spring |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th | 111 | 131 | 148 |
| 75th | 84 | 109 | 124 |
| 50th | 50 | 84 | 100 |
| 25th | 36 | 59 | 72 |
| 10th | 23 | 35 | 43 |
The 50th percentile is the middle of the group, not a pass mark. A score at or above a column's value reaches that percentile.
Run a one-minute reading at home
2nd grade is already picked. Time your child reading an unpracticed passage aloud for one minute, count the words and the mistakes, and see where that sits in the table for this time of year.
If they're below that line
A low score with lots of mistakes points to decoding; a low score with few mistakes usually just needs more reading. Re-reading the same short passage two or three times is the simplest fluency practice there is.
If blends or sh, ch and th still trip your child up, practise those lists before pushing speed.
This is not a diagnosis
This is not a diagnosis or an assessment, and a reassuring result doesn't rule anything out. Children learn to read on different timelines. If you're worried about your child's reading, talk to your child's teacher. The figures on this page describe groups of children, not a line your child has to cross by a certain date.
Frequently asked questions
How many words per minute should a 2nd grader read at the start of the year?
In the 2017 norms the fall figures run from 23 at the 10th percentile to 111 at the 90th, with 50 in the middle. That spread is normal: children start 2nd grade in very different places.
My 2nd grader reads fast but skips words. Is that OK?
Speed with a lot of mistakes usually means guessing rather than decoding. Work on accuracy first, sounding words out left to right, and speed generally follows. The phonics skill check shows which spelling pattern is causing the mistakes.
What should a 2nd grader be able to read by the end of the year?
Vowel teams such as ai, ee and oa and two-syllable words are usually coming in, and reading aloud starts to sound more like talking. Understanding matters as much as speed: ask them to tell you what they just read.
Free: reading fluency by grade: a one-page chart
Typical end-of-year reading speed for grades 1–6 with the published source, how to read the numbers, and suggested daily reading time. One printable page.
We'll email you the reading fluency by grade chart, a few short reading tips over the next month, then at most one monthly roundup of new guides. Unsubscribe anytime.
Where the numbers come from
- Hasbrouck, J. & Tindal, G. (2017). An Update to Compiled ORF Norms (Technical Report No. 1702). Behavioral Research and Teaching, University of Oregon. Table 4: Compiled ORF Norms 2017 (report p. 10).
- Dolch, E. W. (1936). A basic sight vocabulary. The Elementary School Journal.
- Dolch, E. W. (1948). Problems in Reading. Champaign, IL: Garrard Press.