Overview:
The Nation’s Report Card reveals that U.S. student achievement has not returned to pre-pandemic levels, with slight improvements in fourth-grade math but continued declines in reading, especially among lower-performing students.
The latest results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), also known as The Nation’s Report Card, reveal that the nation’s fourth- and eighth-graders continue to struggle to regain academic ground lost during the pandemic. While there are some encouraging signs in mathematics, reading scores have declined further, raising concerns among education experts.
The NAEP results, released by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), indicate that fourth-grade mathematics scores improved by two points between 2022 and 2024. However, this follows a significant five-point drop from 2019 to 2022. Eighth-grade mathematics scores showed no measurable change, leaving students still performing below pre-pandemic levels.
Reading comprehension remains a pressing issue, with both fourth- and eighth-grade reading scores continuing to decline. These downward trends, first reported in 2019 before the pandemic, indicate broader systemic challenges. The percentage of eighth-graders scoring below NAEP Basic reached a historic high, while fourth-graders performing below NAEP Basic reached the highest level in two decades.
“Overall, student achievement has not returned to pre-pandemic performance,” said NCES Commissioner Peggy G. Carr. “Where there are signs of recovery, they are mostly in math and largely driven by higher-performing students. Lower-performing students are struggling, especially in reading.”
Growing Achievement Gaps
A key finding of the 2024 NAEP assessment is the widening gap between higher- and lower-performing students. In eighth-grade mathematics, higher-performing students regained ground lost during the pandemic, while lower-performing students either declined further or showed no improvement. A similar pattern emerged in fourth-grade mathematics, where higher-performing students improved while their lower-performing peers stagnated.
Reading performance is particularly concerning. Students in the 10th and 25th percentile are now scoring lower than their counterparts from the first NAEP reading assessment in 1992. The data also indicate a widening achievement gap between racial and socioeconomic groups. Notably, Hispanic eighth-graders reading scores fell by five points since 2022, and white eighth-graders scores declined by one point.
Signs of Progress in Some Areas
Despite these challenges, some states and school districts posted encouraging gains, particularly in fourth-grade mathematics. Fifteen states and jurisdictions, along with 14 urban districts, saw improvements in fourth-grade math between 2022 and 2024. Notably, Washington, D.C., public schools saw a 10-point gain, while urban districts such as Atlanta, Baltimore, Houston, Los Angeles, and Miami-Dade outpaced the national average in math improvements.
Two states, Alabama and Louisiana, exceeded their pre-pandemic scores in at least one subject. Alabama’s fourth-grade math scores surpassed 2019 levels, and Louisiana saw higher fourth-grade reading scores compared to pre-pandemic performance.
National and Regional Trends
Nationally, average reading scores for both fourth and eighth grades declined by two points since 2022. The percentage of students scoring below the NAEP Basic level increased, with 40% of fourth-graders and 33% of eighth-graders now falling into this category.
Regionally, fourth-grade reading scores declined in the West, Midwest, and South but remained unchanged in the Northeast. Eighth-grade reading scores dropped in the South and West, with declines particularly evident among lower-performing students in cities and suburban schools.
In mathematics, fourth-graders in the Northeast and South showed improvement, while those in the Midwest and West saw no measurable change. For eighth-graders, there was no significant change in math scores across any region.
Persistent Challenges in Education Recovery
The latest assessment underscores the ongoing challenges in education recovery. Chronic absenteeism, which surged during the pandemic, has improved since 2022 but remains above pre-pandemic levels.
The report also highlights disparities in academic recovery among student demographics. For instance, Black, Hispanic, and white fourth graders improved in mathematics, but Hispanic eighth graders saw a three-point decline. Public school students showed a slight improvement in fourth-grade mathematics but continued to struggle in reading at both grade levels.
Urban School Districts Show Mixed Results
The NAEP assessed public school students in 26 urban districts as part of its Trial Urban District Assessment (TUDA) program. Fourth-grade reading scores improved in Atlanta but remained unchanged in most other districts, with four districts experiencing declines.
Mathematics scores in fourth grade showed stronger gains, with 14 districts—including New York City, Houston, and Baltimore—outperforming the national average. In contrast, eighth-grade mathematics scores remained stagnant in most districts, with eight experiencing declines.
Pre-Pandemic Comparisons Show Lingering Deficits
Despite isolated improvements, national student achievement levels remain below pre-pandemic benchmarks. Since 2019, reading scores have dropped by five points at both fourth and eighth grades. Mathematics scores remain three points lower for fourth-graders and eight points lower for eighth-graders compared to 2019 levels.
At the state level, 39 states and jurisdictions saw fourth-grade reading scores decline compared to 2019, with Louisiana being the only state to improve. No state showed an increase in eighth-grade reading scores compared to pre-pandemic levels.
In mathematics, Alabama was the only state to improve in fourth grade since 2019, while 22 states saw declines. At the eighth-grade level, 51 states and jurisdictions reported lower scores than in 2019.
The Numbers
A Call for Action
Education leaders emphasize the need for targeted interventions to support struggling students, particularly in reading. “NAEP has reported declines in reading achievement consistently since 2019, and the continued declines since the pandemic suggest we’re facing complex challenges that cannot be fully explained by the impact of COVID-19,” said NCES Associate Commissioner Daniel McGrath.
With student achievement still below pre-pandemic levels, policymakers, educators, and communities face mounting pressure to address persistent gaps and implement strategies that will help students recover lost learning opportunities.
For a detailed breakdown of the 2024 NAEP results, visit The Nation’s Report Card.
