81 per cent of Ontario Grade 10 students passed literacy test: EQAO

The headquarters of the Thames Valley District School Board is seen in London, Ont. on Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2015. (Bryan Bicknell / CTV London)

TORONTO -- The majority of Ontario's Grade 10 students who wrote this year's secondary school literacy test were successful.

The Education Quality and Accountability Office says 135,111 students were eligible to participate in the test for the first time, and 124,977 did so.

The office says 81 per cent of those students passed.

It also says that the overall success rate on the test over the past five years has remained high and relatively unchanged, varying between 81 per cent and 83 per cent.

The office says 53 per cent of all students with special education needs succeeded on the test, a rate which was also similar to past years.

EQAO CEO Bruce Rodrigues says the results show that students with special education needs require specific attention and ongoing support for their literacy development.