Federal Test Data Shows US Students Are Still Behind Pre-Pandemic Levels in Maths and Falling Further Behind China

Federal test data from 2025 shows US 13-year-olds have made no progress in math or reading since 2023, remaining below pre-pandemic levels, while nine-year-olds improved by four points in both subjects. The data highlights a generational divide, with scores for 13-year-olds stagnant since 2012 and 12th graders hitting historic lows in math proficiency, just 22% scoring at or above benchmark levels in 2024." "article": "Federal data released on 10 June 2026 reveals US 13-year-olds have shown no improvement in math or reading since 2023, with scores remaining below pre-pandemic 2020 levels. The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) long-term trend results, based on tests administered between October 2024 and March 2025 to over 30,000 students in public and private schools, found no statistically significant changes for this age group since 2023. In contrast, nine-year-olds posted gains of four points in both subjects, attributed to their school years largely avoiding pandemic-era disruptions. The decline for 13-year-olds began in 2012, well before COVID-19, according to the National Centre for Education Statistics (NCES). A joint study from Harvard and Stanford universities linked the broader trend to a 'learning recession' starting in 2013, coinciding with weakened test-based accountability systems and rising social media use among adolescents. Matthew Soldner, acting commissioner of NCES, emphasized this was 'not just a pandemic story,' noting the issue spans multiple years. Earlier NAEP data from September 2025 showed only 22% of 12th graders scored at or above math proficiency in spring 2024, down from 24% in 2019. This marks the lowest share on record, with 45% scoring below the NAEP Basic level in math—the highest percentage ever. Soldner warned that scores for the lowest-performing students are at historic lows, citing a long-term downward trend. The stagnation in US math scores is further highlighted by international comparisons. In the 2018 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), US 15-year-olds scored an average of 478 in math out of 1,000, while students in four high-achieving Chinese provinces scored 591—a gap of 113 points. The OECD noted that Chinese students outperformed peers from all other 78 participating countries by a large margin. The data underscores a persistent gap in academic performance, with US students falling further behind global competitors. Federal officials stress the need for urgent action to address the long-term decline, particularly for older students whose foundational learning years were disrupted by systemic issues beyond the pandemic.