US Students’ Math and Reading Scores Drop Several Points Compared to 2019: Nation’s Report Card

Students in a classroom in New York City on Sept. 27, 2021. Michael Loccisano/Getty Images

Fourth and eighth grade students’ math and reading scores showed no improvements across any U.S. states between 2019 and 2022, with the majority seeing a decline in scores, according to a new report published on Oct. 24.

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) report found that the average math score among fourth graders in 2022 was 236 out of 500, a decrease of 5 points compared to the 2019 average of 241. The 2019 scores were taken prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent surge in remote learning, and the 2022 scores were lower than all previous assessment years dating back to 2005.

Among eighth graders, the average math score in 2022 was 274 out of 500, a reduction of 8 points compared to the 2019 average of 282 and lower than all previous assessment years dating back to 2003.

NAEP is a branch of the Department of Education. The report, also titled “The Nation’s Report Card,” is based on testing among a sample of fourth and eighth grade students in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Department of Defense schools, and 26 participating urban districts.

The mathematics report evaluates students’ “knowledge and skills in mathematics and their ability to solve problems in mathematical and real-world contexts,” as well as their “reading comprehension skills” via literary and informational texts, according to NAEP.

Students follow along remotely with their regular school teacher's online live lesson while separated by plastic barriers at STAR Eco Station Tutoring & Enrichment Center in Culver City, Calif., on Sept. 10, 2020. Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images

Students Performing Below Basic Level

The NAEP also found that fourth and eighth grade average reading scores both declined by 3 points compared to 2019.students

Among fourth graders, the average reading score of 217 was lower than all previous assessment years dating back to 2005. For eighth graders, the average reading score of 260 was lower than all previous assessment years going back to 1998. The reading scores among fourth and eighth graders declined in most states and jurisdictions compared to 2019.

Additionally, the percentage of students below the NAEP “basic” level—which is the lowest level of academic achievement—also increased. NAEP defines basic as “partial mastery of prerequisite knowledge and skills that are fundamental for proficient work at each grade.”

In 2022, 25 percent of fourth graders performed below the basic level in math, which was an increase of 5 percentage points compared to 2019 and marked a larger percentage increase than all previous assessments since 2003.

For eighth graders, that figure stood at 38 percent, 7 percentage points more compared to 2019. In reading, the percentage of students below the NAEP basic level increased by 3 percentage points in both grades compared to 2019.

The report also found that students who performed better on the test were more likely to have constant access to a desktop computer, laptop, or tablet; a quiet place to work at least some of the time; and a teacher who was available to help with schoolwork at least once or twice a week.

A teacher at King Elementary School sits in an empty classroom teaching her students remotely during the first day of classes in Chicago on Sept. 8, 2020. Scott Olson/Getty Images

‘Appalling and Unacceptable’

In a press call prior to the release of the report, Education Secretary Miguel Cardona called the test results “appalling and unacceptable,” while calling on teachers and leaders to urgently help pandemic-affected students catch up on their education.

“A once-in-a-generation virus upended our country in so many ways, and our students cannot be the ones who sacrifice the most in the long run,” Cardona told reporters. “We must treat the task of catching our children up with the urgency that this moment demands.”

Overall, the report found that declines in math and reading were seen among fourth and eighth graders in all regions of the United States, although schools operated by the Department of Defense saw no significant change in results.

Finally, it found that over 80 percent of students at each grade level had teachers who were confident in their ability to teach their students in 2022, although just 50 percent of teachers were confident they would be able to help students address learning gaps that may have occurred due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The results show the profound toll on student learning during the pandemic, as the size and scope of the declines are the largest ever in mathematics,” Peggy Carr, the commissioner of the National Center of Education Statistics, said in a press release. “The results also underscore the importance of instruction and the role of schools in both students’ academic growth and their overall well-being. It’s clear we all need to come together—policymakers and community leaders at every level—as partners in helping our educators, children, and families succeed.