Roots and Wings adds five Palm Beach County schools to free reading program

Roots and Wings is expanding its Project UpLift tutoring program to five more Palm Beach County elementary schools for the 2026-27 school year, bringing its total reach to 24 Title I campuses. The move follows a 2024-25 year in which 93% of participants, including 96% of third graders, showed reading gains.

Why it matters: - Roots and Wings is widening access to free early-literacy support in a county where only 57% of third graders read on grade level. - The expansion adds more students to a program that aims to keep struggling readers from falling further behind before the end of third grade, a key milestone tied to long-term graduation outcomes.

What happened: - Roots and Wings announced that Project UpLift will expand to five additional Palm Beach County elementary schools for the 2026-27 academic year. - The five new schools are Banyan Creek Elementary, Barton Elementary, Diamond View Elementary, Forest Park Elementary and Poinciana Elementary. - The program will now operate in 24 Title I elementary schools across Palm Beach County, the largest footprint in Roots and Wings' history.

The details: - Project UpLift is a free after-school tutoring program for elementary students reading in the bottom 25% of their class. - Students receive at least 54 hours of focused literacy instruction during the school year. - Students learn in groups of 10 or fewer and are grouped by specific learning needs. - Certified teachers from each school lead the sessions using lesson plans created by the school’s Project UpLift Literacy Coordinator. - During the 2024-25 school year, 93% of Project UpLift students showed gains on i-Ready reading assessments. - Among third graders in the program, 96% posted gains on i-Ready. - Third-grade participants were promoted at the same rate as classmates who did not take part, even though Project UpLift students started the year in the bottom quarter of their class academically. - At Pine Grove Elementary, third-grade reading scores rose from 16% in 2017 to 73% in 2025, according to Principal Shauntay King. - The School District of Palm Beach County said it appreciates Roots and Wings for supporting students and families.

Between the lines: - The expansion signals that school leaders see Project UpLift as a practical intervention, not a one-off enrichment program. - The program’s small-group format, familiar teachers and in-school setting appear designed to reduce the stigma and friction that can keep struggling readers from engaging. - Roots and Wings also uses attendance and reading gains as rewards, which suggests the nonprofit is trying to build confidence as well as skills.

What's next: - Roots and Wings expects the five new schools to bring help to several hundred more children. - The nonprofit will continue using Project UpLift to support students in grades 1-3 who are reading below grade level and to push them toward proficiency by the end of third grade. - Roots and Wings will also keep operating The Above and Beyond Awards, its teacher recognition program, alongside tutoring.

The bottom line: - Roots and Wings is scaling a literacy model that has already shown measurable gains, betting that more small-group tutoring in familiar school settings can improve reading outcomes for more Palm Beach County children. - More information: the company’s announcement