The 2025 National Assessment of Educational Progress, widely known as the Nation’s Report Card 2025, delivers concerning insights for educators, parents, and policymakers. The results show that students in fourth and eighth grades have made minimal progress in reading, math, and science since the height of the pandemic. In several areas, performance has declined, highlighting the enduring impact of education cuts on student achievement and raising questions about the state of US education scores.

Reading Scores: A Persistent Decline

Reading achievement has steadily declined over the past decade. The Nation’s Report Card 2025 reading scores for both fourth and eighth graders fell below 2019 levels, with the most significant declines affecting lower-performing students. For example, fourth-grade students at the 10th percentile experienced a four-point drop, while those at the 90th percentile maintained their performance.

This widening gap underscores growing disparities in educational outcomes and raises questions about equity and access to effective literacy instruction. The trend highlights concerning patterns in student achievement and reading math science scores across the country.

Math: Modest Gains Mask Deeper Issues

Math scores present a mixed picture. Fourth-grade students recorded a slight improvement, but eighth-grade scores remained unchanged. The modest gains primarily benefit high-achieving students, leaving the majority of learners without significant improvement. This trend signals that top performers continue to advance while broader student populations struggle, emphasizing the need for targeted support to improve US education scores and overall student achievement.

Science: No Recovery in Sight

Science scores have not recovered since pandemic disruptions. Both fourth and eighth graders scored lower in 2024 compared to 2019, suggesting a lasting impact on science education. The stagnation in reading math science scores is concerning given the growing demand for skills in STEM fields. Educators and policymakers face an urgent challenge in strengthening science instruction to prepare students for a future where STEM knowledge is increasingly essential.

The Equity Divide: A Growing Concern

The NAEP results highlight an alarming trend in educational equity. The achievement gap between high- and low-performing students continues to widen. While top students maintain or improve their scores, lower-performing students, particularly Black, Latino, and low-income learners, experience further declines. This persistent disparity reinforces systemic inequities and underscores the importance of addressing both access to quality instruction and broader socioeconomic barriers, as reflected in the 2025 US student performance report.

The Road Ahead: Urgent Need for Action

The 2025 results serve as a reminder that the education system requires urgent intervention. Experts emphasize that without targeted strategies focused on equity, the nation risks leaving a generation of students behind. Evidence-based solutions such as high-dosage tutoring, teacher development programs, and curriculum enhancements are essential to reverse these trends and improve student achievement and US education scores nationwide.

The Nation’s Report Card 2025 presents a sobering view of student achievement in the United States. While some progress exists, it is insufficient to counteract setbacks caused by the pandemic. Addressing these challenges demands collaboration from educators, policymakers, and communities to provide every student with the resources and support necessary to succeed. The findings from the 2025 US student performance report and Nation’s Report Card 2025 reading scores underline the urgency of these efforts to strengthen reading math science scores across the country.