Read to the FINAL FOUR

The Read to the Final Four program is an annual literacy challenge aimed at creating a lifelong love and interest in reading for students across the states in which the Men’s Final Four and Women’s Final Four are conducted. 

In anticipation of the 2023 Men’s Final Four, the NCAA and the Houston Local Organizing Committee teamed up to promote and inspire reading growth for third graders through a year-long, citywide reading initiative. This signature legacy program offers several ways to participate, including a tournament-style reading competition for thousands of Houston third graders. Created as a catalyst for upholding the NCAA’s commitment to education and leaving a lasting impact in its tournament host cities, Read to the Final Four was launched during the 2016 Men’s Final Four in Houston. In its first year, nearly 6,800 third-grade students across 68 Houston area schools competed with Dogan Elementary ultimately winning the competition in the end. For the 2022-23 program, over 39,000 students across 391 schools and 11 school districts will be participating. For an update on the Houston program, click here.

Similar efforts are being conducted in Dallas, where the NCAA, Women’s Final Four and the Dallas Local Organizing Committee have teamed up to help third graders across the state develop their abilities as part of a nine-week program designed to leave a lasting impact on students throughout Texas. The challenge is open to all third graders in elementary schools across the state, and the top four schools will win a trip to Tourney Town presented by Capital One at the Women’s Final Four.To learn more about the program in Dallas, click here.