Test scores fall to record lows as teachers continue to quit

Student test scores fall to record lows as teachers continue to walk away from the profession

What you probably already know: The results of the 2024 national educational assessment tests of fourth and eighth graders are in, and the message is not good. Fourth grade reading levels in the U.S. hit record lows — only 60% of kids were reading at a basic or better level last year. Eighth graders had similarly poor results, continuing a learning slide that began before the pandemic and has worsened since then. The results were similar across states, school types and economic backgrounds. There was one bright spot: Fourth grade math scores went up slightly compared to 2022.

Why? Many blame pandemic learning loss for the significant drop in reading and math scores, though researchers have said there’s no definitive explanation for the drop in scores. Schools have already been struggling with teacher burnout, and there are 567,000 fewer educators in the U.S. public school system in the years since the pandemic, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Combine that with increased student behavioral issues, and the picture gets clearer: Our schools are in trouble.

What it means: Lower test scores early in life can be linked to poorer economic opportunities once these kids become adults. A study by Stanford University found that pandemic learning loss could cost each student $70,000 in lifetime earnings — and the losses were higher for those already from lower economic backgrounds. These same students are then less likely to vote and more likely to spend time in jail or prison as adults.

What happens now? The Trump Administration is unlikely to help move the needle here, as they have already threatened to eliminate the Department of Education, attempted to freeze spending on nutrition and after school programs for public schoolchildren, and stated that parents should have more control over their school’s curriculum. Parents constantly questioning teachers and challenging the books they’re using in the classroom is a major reason teachers are quitting.