Exhibit 99.1

2911 Peach Street • P.O. Box 8036 • Wisconsin Rapids, WI 54495-8036

Renaissance Learning^® Announces Third Quarter Revenue Increases 26%,

Earnings 27%; Declares Quarterly Dividend

WISCONSIN RAPIDS, Wis., — October 19, 2005 — Renaissance Learning, Inc., (Nasdaq: RLRN), a leading provider of computerized assessment and progress monitoring tools for pre-K-12 schools and districts, today announced financial results for the three- and nine-month periods ending September 30, 2005.   Revenues for the third quarter of 2005 were $31.4 million, an increase of 25.5% from third quarter 2004 revenues of $25.0 million.  Net income was $4.9 million compared to net income of $3.9 million for the third quarter of 2004, an increase of 27.1%.   Earnings per share for the quarter were $0.16, compared to the $0.12 per share earned in the prior year.  The third quarter results include the first full quarter impact of the acquisition of AlphaSmart, Inc. which was finalized in late June 2005.

Revenues for the nine-month period ended September 30, 2005 were $87.3 million, up 1% from the 2004 revenues of $86.5 million.  Net income was $18.7 million for the nine-month period, up 7.0% from the prior year net income of $17.5 million.  Earnings per share for the first nine months of 2005 were $0.60 compared to $0.56 earned in 2004.

“We are pleased to report solid increases in both sales and earnings for the third quarter,” commented John R. Hickey, president and chief executive officer of Renaissance Learning, Inc.  “There also has been an improvement in order rates and we are optimistic about our growth prospects for the rest of the 2005/2006 school year and beyond.”

Excluding AlphaSmart products, Renaissance Learning added about 500 new customer schools in the U.S. and Canada during the quarter, bringing total North American schools that have adopted Company products to more than 68,000.  Of these, more than 65,000 have adopted the Company’s reading products and more than 26,000 have adopted the Company’s math products.

The company also announced that its Board of Directors declared a quarterly cash dividend of $.05 per share, payable December 1, 2005 to shareholders of record as of November 11, 2005.

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RLI Q3 Earnings

The Company will hold a conference call at 4:00 p.m. CDST today to discuss its financial results, quarterly highlights, and business outlook.  The teleconference may be accessed in listen-only mode by dialing 888-335-6680 at 4:00 p.m. CDST.  Please call a few minutes before the scheduled start time to ensure a proper connection.

A digital recording of the conference call will be made available on October 19, 2005 at 8:00 p.m. through October 26, 2005 at 11:59 p.m.  The replay dial-in is 877-519-4471.  The conference ID number to access the replay is 6485140.

Renaissance Learning, Inc.

Renaissance Learning, Inc. is a leading provider of computerized assessment and progress monitoring tools for pre-K-12 schools and districts.  Renaissance Learning products give students and teachers continuous feedback to inform instruction and help teachers and administrators motivate students, dramatically accelerate learning, and improve test scores. Renaissance Learning has seven U.S. locations and subsidiaries in Australia, Canada, India and the United Kingdom.

This press release contains forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provision of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements regarding growth initiatives, management’s revenue expectations and growth prospects for future periods, the introduction and the acceptance of new products and services.  Any such forward-looking statements may involve risk and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from any future results encompassed within the forward-looking statements.  Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include risks associated with the implementation of the Company’s strategic growth plan and other risks affecting the Company’s business as described in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the Company’s 2004 Annual Report on Form 10-K and later filed quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K, which factors are incorporated herein by reference.  The Company expressly disclaims a duty to provide updates to forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or other occurrences.

 (tables to follow)

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RLI Q3 Earnings

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RLI Q3 Earnings

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