I’ve walked the halls of schools across the country, but when I walked into Vero Beach Elementary in Indian River County, I immediately sensed I was someplace different. Known as The Moonshot School, VBE has a palpable energy. It’s driven by a community united by a single, urgent mission: ensuring every child learns to read.
It’s hard to describe what it feels like to be in a room with teachers who know children will show up in their classroom two years behind — and yet not only still believe those kids can catch up but actually help them make giant leaps forward.
That’s what we saw in Indian River County. We are filmmakers, and we know a story when we see one. This one stood out, especially against the grim outcomes these days in schools across Florida and the country.
Our nonprofit, Children’s Literacy Project, created The Moonshot Series to tell that story, not because Indian River has all the answers, but because they are asking the right questions. What’s happening there is one of the most hopeful and honest education efforts I’ve ever seen.
Yes, the data matters. And, since the COVID crisis, America has awakened to the crisis of illiteracy. Only 1 in 3 fourth graders nationwide can read proficiently, and in too many places, that number is even worse. But the Moonshot project didn’t start with statistics. It started with the conviction of two moms and a philanthropist that allowing children to leave elementary school unable to read is a moral failure.
Fifteen years ago, they founded a nonprofit called The Learning Alliance, with literacy as its mission. They partnered with the public school system as collaborators. They brought resources — millions of private dollars — and most importantly, they brought belief. They believed in the teachers. They believed in the district. And they believed that if everyone worked together, the kids would win.
They set a crazy goal: 90% of third graders reading on grade level. But that 90% goal became the North Star, and they named it the “Moonshot Goal.”
What followed was a real-life, incredible journey — no silver bullet, no sweeping mandate, but rather a step-by-step pursuit of what is best for kids. The adults in the system — teachers, principals, coaches, district leaders — did something most systems struggle to do: they changed. They studied the science of reading, aligned their curriculum and started using data not to shame, but to guide. They created space for teachers to be coached and supported, not just evaluated.
And the community came with them. Faith leaders, business owners, nonprofits, parents. Everyone had a role to play.
Such alignment is rare in education these days. Most school systems operate in silos, even within their own buildings. But in Indian River, people built trust.
Today, one school in the area has already reached the 90% Moonshot Goal, a feat accomplished by just 3% of schools in Florida. Another school is tied for 15th statewide for the highest learning gains — out of 3,354 schools in Florida. The Moonshot School specifically has seen third-grade reading proficiency rise from 38% in 2022 to 71% in 2025. That’s dramatic progress, especially compared to the 12% increase in the district and the 3% increase in the state in the same time period.
As a district, Indian River is tied for first in the state for the highest percentage of struggling readers who made annual learning gains. It also posted the highest literacy growth rate in Florida since the 2018–2019 school year and earned an A grade from the state for three consecutive years. Overall, its district grade ranking improved from 38th in 2019 to 5th in 2025.
We hope this project helps Hillsborough County and other communities learn from Indian River. What’s happening there is not a formula, but it’s proof that public schools can change and — especially in today’s educational landscape — can compete.
Indian River will stay with us. It reminded us what’s possible when adults act like grownups, and when communities put children first.
The work ahead is hard. But it’s not complicated. Kids need to learn to read. And we need to care enough to make sure they do.
Indian River County showed us how. Now it’s our turn.
Jeff Martin is the founder of the Children’s Literacy Project (CLP), a nonprofit initiative committed to ensuring every child in America learns to read. Through documentaries, short films and national partnerships, CLP elevates the voices of educators and communities proving what’s possible in literacy — and calls the country to act with urgency and moral clarity.
