From Empty Shelves to Daily Reading: One Year at Esteban Guardiola
The library at Esteban Guardiola Elementary School has been a hub of inspiration and learning for the 300 students and 13 teachers. Installed in April 2025, teachers immediately began incorporating books into their pedagogy, students built a habit of reading in class, and kids and teachers actively referred books to each other and discussed what they’re reading. At Esteban Guardiola, reading isn’t an individual activity; it is something shared in community, and deeply valued because of it.
Your Impact, One Year Later
At Chispa Project, we often say that books change the story. This year, at Esteban Guardiola Elementary, we’ve seen exactly what that means in practice.
In just the first year, the library quickly became part of students’ weekly rhythm. On average, each class visited the library once a week, and students who previously weren’t reading for pleasure at all read for an average of 48 minutes per week. That surpasses our goal of 45 minutes, a milestone we don’t always see this early.
Inside classrooms, reading is something students are actively sharing. While formal book checkouts to classrooms happened less often than expected per our reading goals, teachers noticed something encouraging: students were eagerly exchanging books with one another, passing along favorites and building a culture of reading together. This year, we’ll continue working alongside the school to build a habit of regularly checking out books while supporting this growing enthusiasm.
Beyond the numbers, the shift in learning has been deeply felt across the entire school community.
In our end of year survey, 100% of the teachers shared that their students are now reading with greater independence, stronger comprehension, and expanded vocabulary compared to before the library existed. Just as importantly, they spoke about a renewed sense of pride in their school as a whole.
Families are seeing it too. Over 93% of parents reported that the library has had a meaningful, positive impact on their educational community, and 90% of them mention that the library is a contributing factor to keeping their kids in this school for the foreseeable future.
Of course, the most powerful voices are the ones inside the library every day. Take a moment to hear directly from the students and teachers who are living this transformation:
Here’s a gallery of memories from this last year at Esteban Guardiola Elementary School. And, here’s to many more memories that are sure to happen during the 2026 school year!
