New data that U.S. high school students are continuing to lose ground academically, with reading and math scores dropping to their lowest levels in decades.

According to an analysis of the report from the Associated Press (AP), the latest results from the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP), often called the nation’s report card, reveal that 12th graders’ performance in reading and math fell to levels not seen in more than 20 years. Eighth-grade students also posted significant declines in science skills. These assessments were the first since the pandemic for 8th graders in science and 12th graders in reading and math, and they reinforce the downward trend seen in earlier NAEP data.

“Scores for our lowest-performing students are at historic lows,” said Matthew Soldner, acting commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics. “These results should galvanize all of us to take concerted and focused action to accelerate student learning.”

While the pandemic disrupted learning, experts caution that the declines cannot be blamed solely on COVID-19 and school closures. They point to other factors such as increased screen time, shorter attention spans, and less engagement with long-form reading both in and out of school. Carol Jago, associate director of the California Reading and Literature Project at UCLA, said today’s English classes often assign far fewer books. “To be a good reader, you have to have the stamina to stay on the page, even when the going gets tough,” Jago said. “You have to build those muscles, and we’re not building those muscles in kids.”

Education Secretary Linda McMahon pointed to the scores as proof of the need for change. “Despite spending billions annually on numerous K-12 programs, the achievement gap is widening, and more high school seniors are performing below the basic benchmark in math and reading than ever before,” she said.

Lesley Muldoon, executive director of the National Assessment Governing Board, warned that more students are failing to reach even the “basic” achievement level. “These students are taking their next steps in life with fewer skills and less knowledge in core academics than their predecessors a decade ago,” she said. “This is happening at a time when rapid advancements in technology and society demands more of future workers and citizens, not less.”

According to NAEP, the average reading score in 2024 was the lowest ever recorded since the assessment began in 1992, with 32% of seniors scoring below “basic.” In math, 45% of seniors scored below “basic,” the worst results since 2005. Only 33% of students were considered ready for college-level math, down from 37% in 2019.

The report also highlights widening gaps between the highest- and lowest-performing students, as well as a reemerging gender gap in STEM fields. Girls’ scores in science dropped more steeply than boys’ after years of near parity.