Gains made in literacy by Arkansas High School’s classes of 2009 and 2012 on the Arkansas benchmark test still have them lagging behind their peers, education department results show.

Of the 255 AHS juniors who took the end-of-year literacy test in April, 38 percent scored proficient and above, a seven point gain over last year’s 31 percent. However, 51 percent of the state’s 31,075 students in the same grade scored proficient and above for the second year in a row.

Despite the gap, Texarkana, Ark., School District officials say are proud of the progress made.