K-12 Reading, Math Scores Lagging Behind Pre-Pandemic Levels: Study

State math and reading assessments for 2026 have been updated with questions that align more closely to what students are learning now.

Elementary students work on their math homework in Laguna Niguel, Calif., on May 12, 2021. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

Only a third of American K-12 schools have returned to pre-coronavirus pandemic achievement levels in math or reading, an education analysis group said this week.

Those findings came as part of a study released on Feb. 24 by NWEA, which analyzed scores from more than 5 million students across 9,326 schools. Comparing scores from 2019 and 2024, the organization said only one in seven schools recovered in both math and reading.