The Nation’s Report Card for U.S. Students Shows Continued Learning Losses Since Pandemic

American students are still massively struggling with reading and math in the years following the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a Department of Education assessment released on Tuesday.

The report is called the “Nation’s Report Card,” and is a National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) given every two years to test the academic progress of the U.S. School system. The new results are from the most recent exam administered in 2024 in every state, which tested fourth grade and eighth grade students on math and reading.

The results showed that one-third of eighth grade students scored below “basic” in reading — the worst level of scoring in the history of the test. Compared to 2022, average math scores for eighth grade students has remained unchanged, and reading scores for both grade levels went down by two points. The results come in the years following government and teachers’ union-led school shutdowns during the pandemic.

“Overall, student achievement has not returned to pre-pandemic performance,” NCES Commissioner Peggy G. Carr said in a press release. “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.”

The Department of Education released a statement calling the results “heartbreaking.”

“Today’s NAEP results reveal a heartbreaking reality for American students and confirm our worst fears: not only did most students not recover from pandemic-related learning loss, but those students who were the most behind and needed the most support have fallen even further behind,” the department said. “Despite the billions of dollars that the federal government invests in K-12 education annually, and the approximately $190 billion in federal pandemic funds, our education system continues to fail students across the nation.”

“We must do better for our students. The Trump Administration is committed to reorienting our education system to fully empower states, to prioritize meaningful learning, and provide universal access to high-quality instruction. Change must happen, and it must happen now,” the department continued. 

One positive finding is a two-point uptick in fourth grade math scores; however, overall scores are still three points lower than the 2019 pre-pandemic average, according to the report.

While overall scores paint a dismal picture, some districts and states improved. For example, fourth grade mathematics scores increased for 15 states/jurisdictions. Fourteen urban districts also saw average score increases in fourth grade mathematics: District of Columbia Public Schools gained ten points; Guilford County Schools, Baltimore and New York City eight points; and Houston seven points.

A striking trend in the report is the growing divide between higher and lower-performing students. For example, in eighth grade math scores, the scores of lower-performing students declined, while higher performing students improved. That result led to the average score in 2024 not significantly improving from 2022, according to the report. The same can be seen in fourth grade math scores, with lower performing students doing worse and higher performing students achieving better scores.

“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,” NCES Associate Commissioner Daniel McGrath noted.

Parents Defending Education President Nicki Neily said the scores show that the “American education system is in crisis.” She said:

While many of these declines began before the pandemic, they were without a doubt exacerbated by the extended school closures demanded by unions during Covid. Over the past several years, schools around the country have turned into little more than taxpayer-funded babysitting centers focused primarily on social-emotional wellbeing, identity politics, and self-esteem, rather than teaching children core curriculum in ordered classrooms; it’s little wonder that chronic absenteeism rates have spiked as students perceive education to be optional. 

“Our country has betrayed a generation of young learners and robbed them of opportunities, and it is imperative that we as a nation commit to refocusing the American education system on reading, writing, and arithmetic – as well as re-prioritizing hard work and excellence,” she added.