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Newsela Wrapped: Popular Articles for Students in 2025
Christy Walters
November 21, 2025
In 2025, the most popular articles for students on Newsela reflected what matters most to young readers—curiosity, creativity, and real-world relevance.
From pop culture and sports to civics, science, and innovation, students gravitated toward stories that connected learning to their lives. These top reads show how interest-driven content can inspire deeper engagement and critical thinking across subjects.
[What were the most popular Newsela articles of 2025 for students?](id-students)
Key takeaways:
Students were interested in a variety of topics, from pop culture to sports and civics.
Student agency, innovation, and creativity emerged as recurring themes across numerous articles.
Real-world and cross-topic connections made reading more engaging for students in 2025.
This year, students were dialed in to curiosity and relevance. Stories framed around people, play, or power came out on top. Animals, climate, and invention were also big student article topics in 2025. Check out what students read this year on Newsela:
Pop culture articles
This year, K-12 students enjoyed reading about familiar characters and media. From K-pop Demon Hunters to Spider-Man, there were unexpected crossovers between pop culture and learning. These articles even blended personal interests with broader global issues, such as law, economics, and literacy.
Top student-read pop culture Newsela articles of 2025
Sports—specifically anything related to the Super Bowl-winning Philadelphia Eagles—sparked students’ interests in 2025. Stories with unexpected angles, like leadership or learning, were the most popular. Sports content also helped students access information on other topics, like literacy.
With 2024 being a presidential election year, students' interest in civics and politics was evident in 2025. They were curious about real-world leadership and economic policy. These articles helped students engage with real-time civics to see how government decisions affect their daily lives.
Top student-read civics and politics Newsela articles of 2025
Students were curious about the natural world and extreme weather events in 2025. They were intrigued by discoveries and unusual phenomena like record heat and lightning.
Top student-read Earth and climate Newsela articles of 2025
In 2025, students enjoyed animal articles that struck a balance between cuteness, curiosity, and science. They were interested in how creatures think, adapt, and help humans. Stories with themes of survival, training, and mystery were the most appealing.
Students enjoyed reading about “wow” moments in science this year. Anything strange, record-breaking, or accidental was a hit. They chose articles that framed science as a story and ignited curiosity, surprise, and discovery.
Top student-read scientific discovery Newsela articles of 2025
In 2025, students wanted to know about cosmic discoveries and have their space-related questions answered. They were interested in the possibilities of what happens beyond Earth.
Top student-read space mysteries and exploration Newsela articles of 2025
Innovation, creativity, and problem-solving articles
This year, students loved stories about young people just like them who were innovating, fixing problems, or rethinking products and systems. They admired practical creativity and chose articles that celebrated real-life science wins and student-agency problem-solving.
Top student-read innovation, creativity, and problem-solving Newsela articles of 2025
Students were drawn to stories that focused on global traditions, culture, and milestones. They used their cross-cultural curiosity to choose articles that helped them see themselves as part of a global story.
Top student-read global celebrations and events Newsela articles of 2025
[What were the most-assigned Newsela articles by K-12 teachers in 2025?](id-teachers)
Key takeaways:
Teachers used Newsela articles to build scientific literacy, teach historical context, and inspire inquiry and innovation this year.
Technology and media articles also influenced teachers’ assignment decisions in 2025.
In 2025, teachers had key goals when assigning Newsela content to their students. They wanted to focus on the impact of technology on the world and connect literacy and critical thinking to students’ interests. They also zoomed in on scientific literacy, financial literacy, inquiry, historical context, and civic responsibility.
Check out what teachers assigned most on Newsela this year:
Technology articles
ELA, social studies, and science teachers alike wanted to spark discussion on digital citizenship, technology ethics, screen time, and the role of AI in society. Teachers used these articles to encourage their students to think critically about the benefits of technology and to connect everyday life to STEM innovation.
Top teacher-assigned technology Newsela articles of 2025
Environment, weather, and natural disaster articles
Teachers looking to support Earth science, climate, and geography units were active on Newsela this year. The chose articles that emphazied cause-and-effect relationships, data analysis, and environmental awareness. They also took opportunities to help students connect local weather experiences to global patterns.
Top teacher-assigned environment, weather, and natural disaster Newsela articles of 2025
History, civics, politics, and leadership articles
In 2025, teachers assigned content that fit their social studies and civics goals. They helped students connect historical figures to civic responsibility, understand government structures, and see leadership and equity themes in action.
Teachers also used these articles to align with key moments throughout the year, like Black History Month, and current events literacy.
Top teacher-assigned history, civics, politics, and leadership Newsela articles of 2025
Beyond history and civics, teachers also focused on financial literacy topics for social studies education. They picked content that promoted critical thinking about money, consumer habits, and economics in daily life.
Top teacher-assigned economics Newsela articles of 2025
This year’s teachers know that animal stories engage students through emotion to build science literacy. These articles are good for younger readers and cross-curricular links to reading and writing about nonfiction.
Top teacher-assigned animal Newsela articles of 2025
In 2025, teachers assigned content that highlighted STEM creativity, the scientific method, and innovation. Their selections showed students how curiosity and accidents could lead to breakthroughs and inspire design thinking.
Top teacher-assigned curiosity, discovery, and innovation Newsela articles of 2025
Teachers assigned articles about school rules, nutrition, digital habits, and mental health this year. These selections help support life skills learning and practicing decision-making.
Top teacher-assigned student life and choice Newsela articles of 2025
In 2025, teachers assigned content that helped bridge the gap between student interests and literacy skills. They chose articles that tied pop culture to consumerism, media analysis, and cultural appreciation.
Top teacher-assigned pop culture Newsela articles of 2025
[What were the most popular Newsela text sets and collections of 2025?](id-textset)
Key takeaways:
Teachers focused on boosting students’ skills by sharing text sets for reading skills and decodables.
Genre and literary exploration were popular with teachers of all grade levels.
Seasonal moments provided pathways for engagement and learning to intersect.
This year, teachers made skill development and curriculum alignment priorities across grade levels. They engaged students through literature, culture, and current events, while incorporating hands-on creative writing projects and experiential learning opportunities. Check out the text sets and collections teachers use the most on Newsela in 2025:
Skills and strategies text sets
Teachers used Newsela text sets and collections to target reading practice, ELA skills, and scaffolded support. With this content, they were able to reinforce key literacy skills, provide differentiation, and support student success in reading comprehension and decoding.
Top used skills and strategies Newsela text sets and collections of 2025
This year, teachers chose collections that helped build student engagement through storytelling, literary analysis, and thematic and genre-based reading.
Top used genre and literary exploration Newsela text sets and collections of 2025
Teachers helped support literacy through real-world, relevant contexts with their text set choices in 2025. They selected content that encouraged critical thinking, discussion, and cultural awareness. Students explored identity, history, culture, and social issues through the content provided.
Top used social and cultural awareness Newsela text sets and collections of 2025
In 2025, teachers used text sets that covered history, geography, social studies, and global awareness topics. They enabled cross-curricular instruction with reading and writing embedded within content-area learning.
Top used history and geography Newsela text sets and collections of 2025
Teachers supported students’ curiosity, exploration, and STEM engagement this year with experiential learning text sets. These immersive activities let students explore real-world places and phenomena in a way they couldn’t do with passive reading alone.
Top used experiential learning Newsela text sets and collections of 2025
This year (and likely every year!), teachers aligned their instruction to school year milestones. They helped maintain student motivation with timely themes and collections tied to calendar months or student-engagement activities.
Top used seasonal and current events Newsela text sets and collections of 2025
Teachers relied on Newsela for seamless content integration with district-adopted programs, pacing guides, and standards provided by Curriculum Complements. These collections align specifically with adopted curricula or instructional programs.
[What did the most-read Newsela Novel and Book Studies of 2025 have in common?](id-books)
Key takeaways:
Elementary novels introduced complex themes in more accessible formats like poetry, survival stories, and fantasy.
Middle school books helped students develop critical thinking skills and identity awareness.
High school novels focused on reflecting higher-level analysis and discussions through classic literature and dystopian fiction.
In 2025, teachers selected books and novels that balanced engagement and rigor with discussion-worthy topics. Check out the most-read novels and books from Newsela this year:
Coming-of-age and personal growth stories
These stories discuss identity, peer relationships, and self-discovery. Students could focus on themes of adolescence, identity, family dynamics, and navigating challenges.
Top Newsela coming-of-age and personal growth books and novels of 2025
Teachers assigned books that sparked empathy, discussed civil rights, and spotlighted social awareness. They connected themes of inequality, activism, and finding your voice.
Top Newsela identity and civil rights books and novels of 2025
Teachers chose to foster critical thinking about society, ethics, and decision-making with their novel suggestions in 2025. Students could explore themes of control, freedom, morality, and futuristic societies.
Top Newsela dystopian society books and novels of 2025
In 2025, teachers focused on timeless stories and topics (some with a modern twist!) in their novel assignments. These stories taught literary devices, cultural literacy, and narrative analysis.
What Newsela content will you share with students in 2026?
We’ve enjoyed seeing what content you and your students have found interesting, engaging, and insightful this year. Our team can’t wait to see what you read, share, and assign in 2026.
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