September 16, 2026

The Accelerated Reader (AR) community celebrates.

Accelerated Reader is celebrating its 40th year, and its reading community continues to grow, with schools, educators and students across Australia and New Zealand getting involved. 

And, we have the numbers to prove it!  

This year, from the 1st of August to the 1st of September, in over 400 classes throughout schools in Australia and New Zealand, students took up the challenge and went head-to-head in an attempt to win the prestigious Accelerated Reader competition run by Renaissance Australia and New Zealand. 

Every year, the competition gives students an opportunity to showcase their engagement with reading, while adding a sense of challenge, achievement and celebration to their reading practice.  It also acts as a chance for schools to highlight their commitment to reading literacy, and be part of a growing community that understands its importance and is keen to actively participate in its development.

A competition built on momentum

This year the competition invited classes to compete in two categories: ‘Most Words Read’ and ‘Most Books Read’ – worthy challenges and ones which ignited both students’ competitive edge but also a re-connection with reading.  

Simple to enter and easy to track, the competition turned out to be seriously motivating for those that took part and a much-needed reminder of how captivating reading can be.  Momentum gathered throughout the month and leaderboards were checked daily. Personal bests were broken, and “just one more chapter” became the norm in classrooms taking part.  

This positive energy towards reading is important and encouraging as it is perhaps worth remembering, that recent YouGov/Renaissance research revealed that 63% of teachers cited a lack of enjoyment or motivation as a barrier to reading in schools.  If schools and students can find ways to channel enthusiasm for reading, such as with competitions like this one, it is a trend that may have a good chance of continuing. 

The competition isn’t intended to replace the everyday work of building a reading culture. Rather, it gives schools another way to create momentum around reading and celebrate students’ efforts. 

A month can make a difference

The competition isn’t intended to replace the everyday work of building a reading culture. Rather, it gives schools another way to create momentum around reading and celebrate students’ efforts. 

The success of this year’s competition reinforces an important point: when schools create opportunities for reading to be purposeful, social and rewarding, students can be highly motivated to take part. 

Over four weeks, more than 400 classes across Australia and New Zealand took part, collectively reading 581 million words and passing more than 29,000 quizzes. 

These numbers demonstrate the scale of reading activity generated during the competition and provide an encouraging snapshot of what can happen when students are given a clear goal, a sense of challenge, and an opportunity to celebrate their progress. 

Of course, we had winners:  

  • Most Words Read: Australian Islamic College, Kewdale Campus
    • Runner-up: Wooloowin State School 
  • Most Books Read (Quizzes Passed): Peregian Springs State School
    • Runner-up: Maranatha Christian College, Endeavour Hills 

… but we think it’s fair to say that all those that took part were winners, both the schools and students – congratulations to them all! 

Why the numbers matter 

Behind the impressive totals is a simple truth: every word read is a student who chose to keep reading, and every quiz passed is a moment of real comprehension and confidence built. Multiply that across 400+ classes, and you’ve got a genuine, measurable lift in reading engagement in just one month.  

Ready for 2027? 

Not part of this year’s competition? Find out how Accelerated Reader can support your school’s reading culture and help build momentum towards next year’s competition.