WPM stands for Words per Minute in reading comprehension. How many words should a student read per minute? My understanding is that some students may start out at 100 WPM at the beginning of a school year (i.e., in third grade). Eventually after practice they will improve. Let’s just say the standard then becomes 150 WPM. As students graduate to a higher grade level, they should approach the 200 mark and then move above that goal reaching 250+.