WASHINGTON (AP) — Younger students have regained ground academically after the pandemic’s disruptions, while older students’ test scores continue to stagnate, according to the latest testing data released by the federal government.
Nine-year-olds rebounded to pre-pandemic reading scores and saw some recovery in math, according to data from a test taken regularly in the U.S. since the 1970s. The same recovery has not emerged for 13-year-olds, whose average scores in math and reading remain below pre-pandemic averages. In fact, the latest reading scores, from teens who took the test in 2024, are essentially the same level as they were when the test started in 1971.
