National math and reading scores for 13-year-olds drop

Math scores among the nation’s 13-year-olds had the largest drop since the federal government began its assessments in 1973, according to national test results that highlight already declining scores exacerbated by the pandemic.

The National Assessment of Educational Progress long-term trend test for 13-year-olds showed a 4-point decline in reading scores — from 260 in 2020 to 256 in 2023. In math students had a 9-point decline, from 280 to 271. The highest points available for each test is 500.

The big picture: While the 2023 NAEP scores illustrate pandemic-battered students contending with learning loss, results show that declines began pre-pandemic. Test scores for both math and reading dropped between 2020 and 2023 across gender and racial and ethnic groups, but overall scores have been on the decline since 2012.

“This reinforces the fact that academic recovery is going to take some time,” National Center for Education Statistics Commissioner Peggy Carr said in a briefing with reporters. “It does not mean simply going back to the level of achievement we saw before the pandemic. We have to remember that these are going to be challenging times ... for us for a while and the focus should be on the whole child, not just academics.”

While there were declines across performance levels, students who scored in the 10th and 25th percentile had steeper declines. In math, scores in the 10th percentile declined by 14 points and those in the 25th percentile declined by 12 points. For reading, scores in the 10th percentile declined by 7 points and by 6 points in the 25th percentile.

There are also fewer students who report reading for fun on their own time. The percentage of students who reported reading almost every day dropped 13 points from 27 percent in 2012 to 14 percent in 2023. Meanwhile, 31 percent of students in the 2023 results said they never or hardly ever read for fun.

Washington reaction: The Biden administration is encouraging states to spend their American Rescue Plan dollars to support academic recovery and learning loss, with the White House suggesting that the legislation's lack of support from congressional Republicans "hindered efforts to reopen schools safely." The administration is also underscoring how restrictions on curriculum and materials in Republican-led states hinder academic recovery.

"We should invest in American kids leading the world in math and science, and encourage students to read books rather than ban them," a White House spokesperson said in a statement. "Today’s report shows why the President will continue to fight Republican lawmakers’ efforts to under-resource our schools and shortchange American kids.”

The Education Department noted that nearly 60 percent of schools have committed their American Rescue Plan funds.

"The latest data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress is further evidence of what the Biden-Harris administration recognized from Day One: that the pandemic would have a devastating impact on students’ learning across the country and that it would take years of effort and investment to reverse the damage," Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said in a statement.

For some lawmakers, the results strengthened their argument for school choice.

"Students are entering high school who cannot read,” said Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) the top Republican on the Senate HELP Committee, in a statement. “This is intolerable. Parents should have the power to place their child in a school which is most likely to address the child’s educational need. These scores make the case for school choice better than any other argument.”

Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.), chair of the House Education and Workforce committee, said in a statement that "education freedom is the key to reversing this trend," adding that educational options would allow students and parents to choose their own learning environment.

What’s next: NCES and the National Assessment Governing Board will host an event Wednesday at 1 p.m. ET to review the test results.