8th Grade History, Civics Scores Drop Amid COVID-19 Pandemic

Students and parents arrive masked for the first day of the school year at Grant Elementary School in Los Angeles, Calif., on Aug. 16, 2021. Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images

Average U.S. history and civics test scores have dropped among eighth graders compared to before the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress.

The 2022 findings from the NAEP, dubbed “The Nation’s Report Card,” were released on May 3, revealing a five-point drop in U.S. history scores and a two-point drop—the first ever—in civics scores since 2018.