Join the Star Donation Challenge
Shine a light for literacy.
From March 23 to April 24, 2026, students across your school or district can turn the stars they earn by reading books and completing learning activities into real-world impact. Through our partnership with Room to Read, this challenge will help children around the world develop foundational literacy skills by donating books, filling school libraries with local language materials, and training teachers in other countries. This is a reading challenge that empowers students while advancing districtwide literacy goals and contributing to real, measurable change.
Open to all!
New to Learning A-Z? For a limited time, K-5 administrators can request a free, three-month extended trial of Raz-Plus for multiple teachers. Our all-in-one literacy solution helps teachers supercharge students’ reading skills and participate in the Star Donation Challenge. They’ll get full access to all resources, engage students, and make a real-world impact.
How it works
1. Learn and earn stars
Students earn stars by reading books and completing activities in the Student Portal.*
2. Donate
Students donate their stars to give children in need around the world access to books and education.
3. Make an impact
After the challenge ends, Learning A-Z makes a monetary donation of up to $20,000 to Room to Read to turn those stars into real worldwide impact.
4. Celebrate!
The top-donating classroom in each of the 50 U.S. states and D.C., as well as five different countries, will win a class pizza party.**
Our partner for global change
Room to Read is a global education nonprofit organization that helps children develop foundational literacy and life skills that support gender equality by training educators, creating quality materials, and strengthening education systems. They are breaking the cycle of childhood illiteracy and poverty through effective literacy instruction, engaging and child-friendly libraries, and quality children's books in local languages.
Turn digital stars into real impact
We’re challenging students to donate one billion stars. They choose what to donate their stars toward, and at the end of the challenge, Learning A-Z turns their stars into a $20,000 monetary donation to Room to Read to make a real impact on children in need around the world.
Supercharge students’ reading
Not only does this challenge allow students to make a real-world impact, it also motivates them to read more books and complete more learning activities.
Last year, students who participated:
- Read 3X as many books
- Completed 2X as many activities
- Achieved faster reading gains
How to prepare
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Start your free trial and begin exploring your new literacy solution. Learn more about getting started.
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Download your Donation Kit for resources to help you introduce this challenge to your teachers.
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Share the teacher video and share the student video with your classes to get everyone excited about the challenge.
Get your teachers excited
https://player.vimeo.com/video/1121625140
Learn how your students can turn the stars they earn by reading books and completing learning activities into worldwide literacy impact. You’ll also receive exclusive resources to help get your students excited about participating.
Get your students motivated
https://vimeo.com/1121625938?share=copy
Share this video with your students to get them excited about the challenge! They will learn how they can turn the stars they earn by reading and completing learning activities into boosting literacy around the world through donating books to students and helping to train teachers.
Getting started
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Step one
Start your free trial of Raz-Plus for full access to our award-winning, all-in-one supplemental literacy solution.
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Step two
Roster your students and make sure the Incentives setting is turned on.
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Step three
Assign books and activities so students have plenty to work on during the challenge.
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Step four
Once they earn enough stars to donate, students can make their donation in the Star Zone within their Student Portal.
Text Packs: Smart World Citizens
Available within Raz-Plus only, these digitally assignable text packs allow students to explore the topics of community and global citizenship while making connections between multiple texts. Each pack is worth 2,000 stars — that’s halfway toward a donation to support childrens’ literacy worldwide!
Donation kit
Introduce the challenge to your teachers and students, track classroom participation and engagement, and celebrate your school or district’s impact.
Administrator kit
Access communication templates, resources to celebrate students’ accomplishments, and more.
Top-donating classrooms win a pizza party!
The classrooms that donate the most stars in each of the 50 U.S. states and D.C., as well as five different countries, will win a class pizza party to celebrate their impact. Winners will be announced by May 8, 2026.**
All-time Star Donation Challenge results
Students have donated over 11 billion stars to help communities in need since the start of the Star Donation Challenge in 2020. Let’s see how much more we can contribute this year to support literacy for our own students and for children around the world.
11 Billion
Stars donated
2 Billion
Total student donations
FAQs
How is the Star Donation Challenge different this year?
Is there a cost to participate?
When can students donate?
How much do students need to read to donate?
Each donation requires 4,000, 7,500, or 11,000 stars, depending on the donation type.
Students read books and complete various learning activities to earn stars, including listening to a book (10 stars), reading a book (50 stars), passing a quiz (100 stars), completing a vocabulary game (100 stars), and more.
How do the donations work?
Students have the option to donate their stars toward books, filling school libraries, and training teachers in other countries.
After the challenge ends, Learning A-Z makes a monetary donation of up to $20,000 to Room to Read to turn those stars into real worldwide impact.
What’s the prize for the classrooms that donate the most stars?
How will I know if my class has won?
Learning A-Z will contact winners through the email address associated with their account within 30 days after the challenge has ended.
We will also celebrate the winning classrooms in a blog post that includes the name of the classroom teacher, as well as the classroom's school and district. Student information will NOT be shared.
Where do I go if I need help getting started with my Learning A-Z solution?
Register for a free demo hosted by our Professional Learning Services team. Or, follow the step-by-step walkthroughs available within the Guided Help feature in your account.
If you’d like to connect with Customer Support, start a chat by opening the icon at the bottom of any Learning A-Z page.
How can I tell if my students are donating?
Request Multi-Trial
https://go.learninga-z.com/l/710503/2024-02-13/kbg2z{height:550px}
Rules and regulations
*The following Learning A-Z products include Student Portal access: Raz-Plus, Raz-Plus ELL, Raz-Plus Español, Raz-Kids, Foundations A-Z, Vocabulary A-Z, Writing A-Z, and Science A-Z.
**No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited. The 2026 Learning A-Z® Star Donation Challenge Contest runs 03/23/2026 12:00:01 am ET to 04/24/2026 11:59:59 pm ET. Open only to School Teachers, 21+, who currently use a Sponsor Product. All eligible Teachers using a Sponsor Product will be entered into the Contest by virtue of using the Product. To learn how to opt-out of the contest and to see Official Rules, including how to participate and prize details, click here: https://www.learninga-z.com/user_area/content_media/raw/stardonationcontestrules1.pdf. Sponsor: Learning A-Z.