Largely overlooked in the furor over stabbings and assassinations the past few days, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) has reported more dismal data about educational achievement of today’s youth. The latest updates report on 12th-grade reading and math as well as 8th-grade science.

Average scores for top and bottom performers alike were lower in 2024 than the pre-COVID, pre-George Floyd year of 2019. Overall, only 35% of 12th-graders scored proficient in reading and 22% in math. In other words, young people are losing ground in acquiring the verbal and mathematical skills required to thrive in the burgeoning knowledge economy.

The NAEP conducts tests every two years for math, reading, and science in the 4th, 8th, and 12-grades. It sets three bars for achievement: basic, proficient, and advanced. A “proficient” score indicates solid performance. Although NAEP does break down data by state from previous years, its website does not yet provide the latest 2024 numbers for Virginia.

— JAB