Our Mission
Uniting the community to support literacy for all,
through advocacy, partnerships, and resources.
The San Diego Council on literacy is committed to fostering a culture and environment of inclusivity and equity. Click here to read our full statement on diversity, equity, and inclusion.
How well do adults read
where you live?
Enter a San Diego County ZIP code to see local adult literacy data, understand what the numbers mean, and compare communities.
This tool uses real 2025 data from the San Diego Council on Literacy — showing the percentage of adults reading at the lowest literacy level, in context.
Try a ZIP code:
What "lowest level" means
These adults can read simple words and sentences, but struggle with everyday tasks like medicine labels, pay stubs, job applications, and utility bills.
Economic impact
Health connection
Low health literacy makes it harder to read prescriptions, understand diagnoses, and navigate care — leading to poorer health outcomes and higher costs for everyone.
Generational cycle
Children of adults with low literacy are significantly more likely to struggle with reading — making family literacy one of the highest-impact community investments.
What do the three levels of adult literacy mean?
Help change these numbers in San Diego
The San Diego Council on Literacy connects adults with free tutoring, learning programs, and resources — and supports organizations doing this work every day across San Diego County.
PRIORITIES:
Resources to support services
Research and Data to define the state of literacy in the region
Advocacy and Awareness to instill the importance of literacy in the community and inspire action
Collaborations and Initiatives to fill service gaps
Photo by Luis Jimenez
Our Newsletter: Voice of Literacy
Voice of Literacy is the newsletter developed and distributed by the San Diego Council on Literacy. The newsletter contains information about literacy programs in San Diego County, literacy issues, literacy events around the county, and inspiring personal stories from literacy students and others.
Watch our short documentary
Voices & Faces: Literacy in San Diego
PARENT GUIDE
Thank you to our reading specialist, Kristin Shea, for producing this Parent Guide, English and Spanish. This information is assisting families in practicing activities that help emerging readers.
SPONSORS & PARTNERS
ABC 10News
Boys & Girls
Foundation
Bravo Foundation
Cloudcast Media
County of San Diego
Data Science Alliance
Downtown San Diego
Lions Club
Kaiser Permanente
Lions Club of El
Cajon
Lions Club of
National City
Mission Federal
Credit Union
Molina Foundation
National University
Stephen & Mary Birch
Foundation
Sycuan Casino
