The 16 finalist schools were announced Monday to progress in the Read to the Final Four...
Burchett Elementary students and staff celebrate as their name is called as one of the “Sweet Sixteen” schools during an announcement ceremony for the “Read to the Final Four” reading program for third graders, sponsored by the NCAA Men’s Final Four, held at Burchett Elementary School Monday, Feb. 6, 2023 in Spring, TX.
Read to the Final Four began in September of 2022, and the school bracket seeding the top 68 schools was composted in January. Next Monday the bracket will shrink again. Houston-area third graders have already broken the record for minutes read by any Read to the Final Four host city since Atlanta in 2020.
The grand prize is $5,000 for the school with the highest reading totals, and the second, third and fourth place schools win $2,000, said Dorita Hatchett, senior director of community relations at the Houston Local Organizing Committee. The competition will conclude at George R. Brown Convention Center, where the top four schools are invited to Fan Fest on March 31.