Around the world, millions of children are denied the chance to learn—not because they lack potential, but because crisis, poverty, or discrimination have pushed them to the margins of the education system. As The Luminos Method  book reminds us, most breakthrough innovations in education occur at the outer reaches of the formal system.

New evidence from four independent evaluations of the Luminos program in Ethiopia, Ghana, Liberia, and The Gambia demonstrates this vividly. Children who entered Luminos classrooms unable to read even a single word are now reading full sentences, solving math problems with confidence, and discovering their own potential as learners.

These results reaffirm a truth at the heart of the Luminos Method: with the right approach, children on the margins can learn more, faster than anyone thought possible—and all in joyful classrooms.

Luminos Student Learning Gains in the 2024–25 School Year

During the 2024–25 school year, Luminos students made remarkable progress in literacy and numeracy. Below is a summary of our results:

Ethiopia: Thriving in the Classroom Post-Conflict

The civil war in Tigray, Ethiopia, devastated the region’s education system, leaving more than 2.3 million children out of school. In response, the Luminos accelerated learning program supported vulnerable and out-of-school children to catch up on three years of missed education in safe and joyful learning environments—with transformational results.

In literacy, students in the Luminos program improved their oral reading fluency from 3 correct words per minute (CWPM) at baseline to 33 CWPM at endline. This substantial gain shows students moved from non-readers to independently reading short passages by the end of the program. Students’ math fluency also improved dramatically. By the end of the program, students completed an average of 16 of 20 addition and 12 of 20 subtraction problems in a minute—up from 4 and 2 at baseline, respectively. 

To read the full summary report, click here.

Ghana: Outpacing National Averages

Luminos students in Ghana made remarkable strides, reaching reading fluency levels more than nine times the national average for Grade 2 students in Asante Twi.

At the start of the program, students read an average of only 6 CWPM from a simple paragraph or story, indicating they were not yet able to read and comprehend connected text. By the end of the program, students could read short passages with an average fluency of 28 CWPM—more than 9 times the national average for Grade 2 students in Asante Twi. Students also achieved strong gains in early phonics skills, identifying an average of 51 correct letter sounds in a minute by endline. In numeracy, students made consistent progress across all subtasks with strong fluency gains in number recognition and basic arithmetic.

To read the full report summary, click here.

Liberia: Leapfrog Gains in Literacy and Numeracy

In Liberia, Luminos students progressed at extraordinary speed, transforming from struggling readers to fluent ones while also more than doubling their math performance.

At the start of the program, students could read on average only 4 CWPM from a simple paragraph or story. By the end of the program, students were reading 51 CWPM, a dramatic increase of 47 CWPM from baseline, and 4.6 times the rate of their peers in conventional schools. In numeracy, students more than doubled their fluency scores on timed assessments, reflecting a strong grasp of basic number sense and early math skills. This pattern held across all subgroups, with girls performing slightly better than boys. Notably, students with no prior schooling and those who did not speak the language of instruction at home started behind but quickly caught up on foundational skills.

To read the full report summary, click here.

The Gambia: Strongest Results to Date

In just one school year, Luminos students in The Gambia progressed from barely reading a single word to reading at 4.5 times the rate of their peers—the program’s highest learning outcomes to date.

At the start of the program, students had virtually no functional reading ability, with oral reading fluency scores averaging 1 CWPM. By the end, students could read short passages with an average fluency of 27 CWPM. Students also demonstrated strong fluency improvements in math, correctly identifying on average 40 numbers in a minute, and progressing from being unable to complete any subtraction items at entry to completing an average of 9 subtractions in a minute.

To read the full report summary, click here.

Conclusion

These results provide compelling evidence that the Luminos Method delivers rapid learning gains for the most vulnerable children. Independent evaluations across four countries confirm consistently strong outcomes, showing that accelerated, joyful learning can help students progress from not recognizing letters or words to reading short stories within a single school year.

Luminos remains committed to expanding this profound impact and ensuring that more children can acquire the foundational skills needed to thrive.