US high school students lose ground in maths and reading, continuing yearslong decline
Summary
The 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) shows a continued, long-term decline in US high school performance. Twelfth-grade reading scores fell to their lowest level in the history of the assessment; maths scores are at their lowest since 2005. Eighth graders also lost notable ground in science. The report highlights growing achievement gaps, a re-emerging gender gap in STEM, and a rise in the proportion of students scoring below the “basic” level. Experts say the drop predates COVID-19 but was worsened by pandemic disruptions and related issues such as absenteeism and reduced hands-on learning.
Key Points
- NAEP 2024: 12th grade reading is the lowest since the assessment began in 1992; 12th grade maths at its lowest since 2005.
- 32% of high school seniors scored below “basic” in reading; 45% scored below “basic” in maths — the highest share since 2005.
- Only 33% of seniors are judged ready for college-level maths (down from 37% in 2019).
- Achievement gaps widened: the largest-ever gap in eighth-grade science and a renewed gender gap as girls’ science scores fell more steeply.
- Contributing factors cited include long-term trends (more screen time, less long-form reading), pandemic disruption to inquiry-based learning, high student transiency (Nevada ~26% in 2023–24), and chronic absenteeism.
- Policy and practice responses urged: accelerate early literacy, strengthen middle-school maths, tackle absenteeism and transiency, and improve teacher recruitment and retention.
Why should I read this?
Short and blunt: test scores are tanking and the gaps are widening — this isn’t just a temporary blip from the pandemic. If you care about schools, the future workforce or local education policy, the findings show where problems are getting worse and where action is needed now. We’ve done the slogging through the report so you can see the headlines and decide what to push for.
Context and Relevance
These NAEP results matter because they offer one of the most consistent national measures of student learning. Declines across reading, maths and science signal risks to college and career readiness just as technological and economic demands increase. Local factors — for example Nevada’s very high student transiency — illustrate how community conditions amplify national trends. The reappearance of a gender gap in STEM and the loss of hands-on inquiry activities are particularly worrying for long-term equity and workforce pipeline goals.
For educators and policymakers the takeaway is clear: targeted, sustained interventions in literacy, middle-school mathematics and attendance/retention are urgent. Addressing teacher shortages and restoring engaging, inquiry-based learning will also be important to reverse the downward drift.