Report Card Comments for Struggling Students (Honest but Kind)

The best report card comments for struggling students are honest about the gap, specific about the skill and clear about the next step: name one real strength, describe one area of growth with evidence, and give one action for school and home. Families can handle hard news when it’s precise and comes with a plan. What hurts is vague negativity (“is not working to potential”) or surprises. Below you’ll find a formula, more than 50 examples by subject, phrases to replace, and how to handle the toughest cases.

The 3-part formula

Keep each comment to three or four sentences. One clear concern is more useful than five.

Before you write: no surprises

If a student is significantly below grade level, has missed a lot of work, or has a behavior pattern that’s getting worse, the family should hear it from you in a call, an email or a conference before they read it. Our parent-teacher conference comments can help you plan that conversation.

Phrases to replace

Reading comments

1. ___ enjoys listening to stories and makes thoughtful predictions. She is working on decoding short-vowel words and reads about 60% correctly right now. Reading decodable books together at home will build her confidence.
2. ___ is a motivated reader who is working on reading more smoothly. He currently reads about 45 words per minute on grade-level text; our goal is steady weekly growth through daily partner reading.
3. ___ understands stories well when they’re read aloud. Reading them independently is still hard, so she gets small-group phonics support every day.
4. ___ is working on retelling the main events of a story in order. Asking “What happened first? Next? At the end?” after reading at home will help.
5. ___ is learning to use the pictures and the letters together to read new words, instead of guessing from the first letter.
6. ___ has grown in phonics this quarter and now reads most CVC words. Our next step is words with digraphs like sh, ch and th.
7. ___ can answer questions about details in a text and is working on finding the main idea.
8. ___ is building stamina for independent reading; he reads for about 5 minutes on his own and we’re working toward 15.
9. ___ is beginning to self-correct when a word doesn’t make sense. Praising this at home is a great way to encourage it.
10. ___ benefits from hearing grade-level texts read aloud while she continues to strengthen decoding.

More examples are in our reading report card comments.

Math comments

11. ___ works hard in math and is always willing to try. He is working on addition facts within 20 and knows about half of them quickly.
12. ___ understands place value with tens and ones and is now working on regrouping in subtraction.
13. ___ is learning to read word problems carefully and decide which operation to use. Drawing a picture first is helping.
14. ___ can solve problems with manipulatives and is working on solving them with numbers alone.
15. ___ is building multiplication fact fluency; practicing 5 facts a night with flash cards or a game will help.
16. ___ is working on explaining how she solved a problem using math words.
17. ___ is beginning to compare fractions using drawings and will keep practicing with number lines.
18. ___ is learning to check his answers to catch small mistakes.
19. ___ is more confident in math when he works with a partner; we’re building toward independent practice.
20. ___ made real progress in telling time to the hour and half hour and is now working to the nearest 5 minutes.

For more, see our math report card comments.

Writing comments

21. ___ has wonderful ideas and loves to tell stories. She is working on writing complete sentences with a capital letter and end mark.
22. ___ is learning to write a topic sentence and add two supporting details.
23. ___ is working on spacing between words and forming letters so readers can understand his writing.
24. ___ can share ideas orally and is learning to put them on paper using a graphic organizer.
25. ___ is beginning to use describing words to make his writing more interesting.
26. ___ is working on spelling words with patterns we have studied, such as -ing and -ed.
27. ___ is building writing stamina and now writes for about 10 minutes at a time.
28. ___ is learning to reread her writing to check that it makes sense.

Work habits comments

29. ___ is a kind classmate who is learning to start tasks right away. A visual checklist on his desk is helping.
30. ___ is working on completing assignments on time; she has turned in 7 of 10 this quarter, up from 4 of 10.
31. ___ is learning to ask for help when he is stuck instead of waiting.
32. ___ is working on keeping materials organized; a weekly folder clean-out at home would help.
33. ___ is building focus during independent work and does her best work when she sits near the front.
34. ___ is learning to follow multi-step directions; we’re breaking tasks into smaller steps.
35. ___ is working on using class time well so less work comes home unfinished.
36. ___ is learning to check the homework planner each day before leaving school.

Behavior and social comments

37. ___ is a caring friend who is working on solving disagreements with words.
38. ___ is learning to raise his hand and wait to be called on during lessons.
39. ___ is working on using calm-down strategies when she feels frustrated; she’s using them more often each week.
40. ___ is learning to keep his hands to himself in line and on the carpet.
41. ___ is working on joining group activities and sharing ideas with peers.
42. ___ is learning to accept feedback and try again.
43. ___ is working on following directions the first time they are given.
44. ___ is building self-control during transitions and has had more successful days this month.

Comments that show growth, even when the gap remains

45. ___ has grown from reading 20 to 38 words per minute this quarter. She is still working toward the grade-level target, and her effort is paying off.
46. ___ now knows 15 more sight words than at the start of the year.
47. ___ moved from 2 to 3 on our writing rubric for organization.
48. ___’s fact fluency has doubled since September.
49. ___ is turning in more complete work; keep encouraging this at home.
50. ___ has started using strategies on his own, which is a big step.

When a student is far below grade level

For students working well below expectations, combine honesty with the plan:

51. ___ is reading at an early first grade level and receives daily small-group reading support. We will keep you updated every few weeks, and I’d welcome a conversation about how we can work together.
52. ___ is working on foundational math skills, including counting and comparing numbers to 100, with extra support in a small group. Please reach out so we can share progress and ideas.
53. ___ continues to need a high level of support to complete written work. I’d like to set up a meeting to talk about next steps together.

If a student has an IEP, report progress on goals in the IEP progress report as required, and keep the report card focused on the general curriculum, following your district’s guidance. Never write a diagnosis or a suspected disability on a report card.

Final checks before you submit

• Did you include at least one genuine strength?
• Is the concern specific and observable?
• Is there a clear next step?
• Would the family understand it without education jargon?
• Did you avoid labels and comparisons to other students?
• Did the family already hear about any serious concern?

Using AI to draft comments

A comment generator can turn your notes into a first draft in the formula above. Review every word, make it sound like you, and check it against your data. Don’t enter student names, grades or identifying details into any AI tool; use general descriptions and add the name yourself in your school’s system.

For examples by grade and subject, plus the full formula, visit our report card comments guide.