WASHINGTON, D.C. — Long-term trend assessment results measuring national progress in reading and mathematics for 9-year-old and 13-year-old students were released on Wednesday. Average reading and mathematics scores for 9-year-old students increased from 2022 to 2025.
More than 30,000 students took the exam between October 2024 and March 2025. This assessment is part of the National Assessment of Educational Progress and is administered on paper every few years using consistent questions since the 1970s.
The score increases for 9-year-olds were observed across all performance levels, including among lower-performing students. Matthew Soldner, Acting Commissioner, National Center for Education Statistics, stated, "Even though they're performing below average, they are trending upward."
The 9-year-olds tested were four years old in 2020 and began formal schooling after educational institutions resumed full-time in-person instruction. Soldner commented, "I think this is an optimistic release." In the most recent assessment, 37% of 9-year-old students reported reading for recreation daily.
In contrast, reading and mathematics scores for 13-year-old students showed no measurable improvement compared to the previous assessment. Average reading scores for 13-year-old students remain below the levels observed before the pandemic. This lack of reading improvement spans Hispanic, white, female, economically disadvantaged, and suburban demographic groups.
Current average reading scores for 13-year-old students are not statistically different from scores recorded in the initial 1971 assessment. Current mathematics scores for 13-year-old students indicate a decline from the 2012 peak, which saw a 21-point increase from 1978. Lowest-performing 13-year-old students show no mathematics score improvement compared to 1978 results.
Lesley Muldoon, Executive Director, National Assessment Governing Board, said, "The lack of progress in 13-year-olds raises huge questions and ought to serve as a catalyst for change." Muldoon said, "As a nation, we have to bring more focus to the middle school years." The board establishes policy for the assessment program.
In both 2022 and 2025, 14% of 13-year-old students reported reading for recreation daily. This can be compared to 1984, when 35% of 13-year-old students reported reading for recreation daily. The next administration of the long-term trend assessment is scheduled for 2033.