The goal of Chapter I programs is to enable disadvantaged children to attain grade level success in school. This study attempts to determine the extent to which students in a predominantly African American school achieve grade level success as a result of their Chapter I reading supplementary participation. The reading gains of the Chapter I reading students (the treatment group) after 5 years of Chapter I participation were compared to that of non-Chapter I participants (regular students). The spring 1998 Stanford Achievement Test scores of the students when they were in 4th grade were used as pre-test scores. The same achievement test scores of spring 2003 were used as post-test scores for the same students in 8th grade. A t-test analysis indicated significant reading gain score for the children in the Chapter I reading program by the 8th grade when compared to their regular student counterparts. And although the Chapter I students did not reach parity with their regular student counterparts at the 8th grade, their significant gain suggest a strong support for the continuation of Chapter I programs.