Arizona 3rd Graders Compete in 'Read to the Final Four' Literacy Challenge

Four schools advance to championship round of statewide reading competition tied to 2026 NCAA Women's Final Four

Apr. 2, 2026 at 5:35am

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A statewide reading competition called 'Read to the Final Four' has engaged over 12,000 third graders from 190 schools across Arizona since November 2025, mirroring the bracket-style format of the NCAA March Madness tournament. Now, just four schools have advanced to the championship round, competing for a $5,000 grand prize to support reading, literacy, and library programs at their schools.

Why it matters

The Read to the Final Four program aims to encourage strong reading habits and literacy development among third graders, a critical milestone when students transition from learning to read to reading to learn. By framing the competition in a sports-like format with prizes, the program makes reading engaging and fun for students, helping them fall in love with books and build lifelong skills.

The details

The Read to the Final Four competition started in November 2025 with over 12,000 third graders from 190 schools across Arizona participating. The program is hosted annually in collaboration with the Final Four host communities, and has engaged more than 70,000 third graders statewide since its introduction in 2016, resulting in over 61 million minutes read. The four schools that have advanced to the championship round are Kyrene de la Colina Elementary School in Ahwatukee, Mary C. O'Brien Elementary School in Casa Grande, Sun Canyon Elementary School in Phoenix, and Villa de Paz Elementary School in Phoenix.

  • The competition started in November 2025.
  • The championship round will take place in April 2026, ahead of the NCAA Women's Final Four.

The players

Jen Barnett

Head of Operations and Social Responsibility with the Phoenix Final Four Local Organizing Committee.

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What they’re saying

“It's this team competition that they're working on together. It really pulls on those elements of sport like practice and resilience. As they're working through it, they're winning prizes along the way... but they don't realize they're also falling in love with reading and they're developing a lifelong skill: Reading.”

— Jen Barnett, Head of Operations and Social Responsibility

What’s next

The winning school will be awarded the grand prize of $5,000 to support reading, literacy, or library programs. The three runner-up schools will each receive $2,500.

The takeaway

The Read to the Final Four competition is a creative way to engage third graders in Arizona and foster a love of reading, helping them develop critical literacy skills at a pivotal stage of their education. By framing the challenge around the excitement of the NCAA Women's Final Four, the program makes reading fun and rewarding for students.