47% of the third grade students on Florida's Suncoast are at risk because they cannot read at grade level. The Rotary Reading Project is leading the way to assist teachers in helping these students.

In 2018-19, 32% of Sarasota County third graders and 37% of Charlotte County’s were not reading at grade level. Rotarians consider this unacceptable because after the third grade, students read to learn. To help teachers, Rotarians combined projects and created the ROTARY READING PROJECT because they believe that, given time and proper materials, teachers and parents can reduce these percentages to 25% or less.