US Reading Scores Still Half Grade Behind Pre-Pandemic

A new analysis of student test scores reveals a persistent national decline in reading proficiency among U.S. elementary and middle schoolers, with levels still nearly half a grade behind pre-pandemic benchmarks despite post-COVID recovery efforts. The trend, which began years before the pandemic, shows limited improvement in only five states and the District of Columbia from 2022 to 2025.

Researchers from Harvard, Stanford and Dartmouth examined third- through eighth-grade results across more than 5,000 school districts in 38 states for their Education Scorecard. Nationally, reading scores have fallen since 2013 for eighth graders and 2015 for fourth graders, according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress. "The pandemic was the mudslide that had followed seven years of steady erosion in achievement," said Thomas Kane, a Harvard professor who helped develop the scorecard.

Math scores present a brighter outlook, with nearly every state posting gains over the same period, alongside widespread reductions in student absenteeism. More than 400 districts outperformed demographically similar peers in reading or math, signaling targeted interventions can yield results.