U.S. Education System Gets a Failing Grade in National Report Card, Reading Scores Plummet to 30-Year Lows

WASHINGTON DC — The U.S. Department of Education’s latest “Nation’s Report Card” shows that America’s education system is, in its own words, failing. The 2024 Education Report Card, compiled by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), found significant declines in student performance across nearly all grades and subjects, marking one of the worst national assessments since the program began in 1969.

The findings reveal steep drops in proficiency for both public and private school students, regardless of region or gender. “Average scores for eighth graders are worse in science than they were before the pandemic, and average scores in reading and math for 12th graders were worse than they were before the pandemic,” the report states.

Perhaps most alarming, the NCES found that 45% of high school seniors scored below basic in math, a record high, while nearly one in three 12th graders were below basic in reading. Reading scores for seniors in 2024 were 25 points lower than in 1992, indicating a steady decline over three decades.

The long-term data paints an even bleaker picture. Eighth grade science scores were roughly equal to those from 2009, and 12th grade math scores fell below 2005 levels. Despite a slight improvement in fourth grade math scores since 2022, the overall trends remain deeply concerning.

The report also identified rising absenteeism as a contributing factor. Nearly one-third of 12th graders in 2024 reported missing three or more days of school in the previous month, up from 26% in 2019. The decline was consistent across nearly all regions, with science scores dropping in the Northeast, Midwest, and South, and math and reading declines concentrated in the South and Midwest.

While many have been quick to blame pandemic-era disruptions, the NCES report cautions that the downturn predates COVID-19. “These issues have been trending in this direction for more than a decade,” the analysis notes.

The results have reignited political debate in Washington. The Trump administration has pointed to the findings as evidence that “the Education Department is failing and should be eliminated,” according to the transcript. Critics, however, argue that dismantling the department would only deepen the crisis, leading to “even more kids who can’t perform the basics in reading, math, and science.”

The report, mandated by federal law and released shortly before the 2024 government shutdown, serves as a national benchmark for measuring educational progress. Established in 1969, the “Nation’s Report Card” is intended to help policymakers, educators, and the public understand student performance across the country and identify areas for improvement.

Despite grim data, the report did offer one positive note, which was that fourth-grade math scores increased modestly from 2022, a potential sign of early progress in younger learners. Education experts caution, however, that small gains in lower grades will not reverse a nationwide decline without structural change in how schools address literacy, attendance, and curriculum standards.

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