Maths, reading performances drop among U.S. teenagers after COVID-19

“The bottom line — these results show that there are troubling gaps in the basic skills of these students,” she said.

Adebola Ajayi • June 21, 2023

Students in class room [Photo: Getty Images]

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) says mathematics and reading performances among 13-year-olds in the United States have drastically dropped in decades.

According to the report, students’ test grades dropped significantly after the 2019/2020 coronavirus pandemic wreaked havoc on the U.S. education system.

The average scores for 13-year-olds in reading are at their lowest point since 2004 and in mathematics since 1990.

NAEP reveals that students score an average of 256 out of 500 in reading and 271 out of 500 in maths which was lower than the average score decades ago.

Peggy Carr, the commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics in the U.S., said there is a huge challenge facing U.S. educational sector.

“The bottom line — these results show that there are troubling gaps in the basic skills of these students,” she said.

The report also shows that the percentage of 13-year-olds enrolled in algebra has declined to 24 per cent from 34 per cent in decades.

NAEP also discovered that students are missing class after the pandemic, noting that test grades have declined among all racial groups.

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