Scores decline again for 13-year-old students in reading and mathematics

Scores decline again for 13-year-old students in reading and mathematics

The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) administered the NAEP long-term trend (LTT) reading and mathematics assessments to 13-year-old students from October to December of the 2022–23 school year. The average scores for 13-year-olds declined 4 points in reading and 9 points in mathematics compared to the previous assessment administered during the 2019–20 school year. Compared to a decade ago, the average scores declined 7 points in reading and 14 points in mathematics.

Performance Trends by Percentiles

Reading scores decline at all selected percentiles since 2020

NAEP reports scores at five selected percentiles to show changes over time by lower- (10th and 25th percentiles), middle- (50th percentile), and higher- (75th and 90th percentiles) performing students. Percentiles are useful for understanding how overall score gains or losses are distributed across the student population and provide context for the national average score.

The 2023 reading scores for age 13 students at all five selected percentile levels declined compared to 2020. The declines ranged from 3 to 4 points for middle- and higher-performing students to 6 to 7 points for lower-performing students.

Larger declines since 2020 for lower-performing students in mathematics

The 2023 mathematics scores for age 13 students at all five selected percentile levels declined compared to 2020. The declines ranged from 6 to 8 points for middle- and higher-performing students to 12 to 14 points for lower-performing students, with larger declines for lower performers in comparison to their higher-performing peers.

Performance Trends by Student Group

Scores decline for many student groups in reading, and for nearly all student groups in mathematics

In mathematics, the 11-point score decrease for female students compared to the 7-point decrease for male students resulted in a widening of the Male−Female score gap in comparison to 2020. Also, the 13-point score decrease among Black students compared to the 6-point decrease among White students resulted in a widening of the White−Black score gap from 35 points in 2020 to 42 points in 2023.

Student Learning Experience

Percentage of students missing 5 or more days of school monthly has doubled since 2020

Responses to the survey question for both subjects indicate a decrease in the percentages of 13-year-old students reporting having missed none to 2 days in the past month compared to 2020. The percentage of students who reported missing 5 or more days doubled from 5 percent in 2020 to 10 percent in 2023.

Fourteen percent of students report reading for fun almost every day, lower than previous years

In 2023, fourteen percent of students reported reading for fun almost every day. This percentage was 3 percentage points lower than 2020, and 13 percentage points lower than 2012. Overall, the percentage of 13-year-old students who reported reading for fun almost every day was lower in 2023 than in all previous assessment years.