The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) has released national scores for 2024. Those scores continue to be on the decline. In fact, they are at record lows.
The majority of students who took the NAEP were not proficient in reading or math. Only 35% of seniors were proficient in reading, and just 22% were proficient in math. These new graduates are educationally handicapped as they take off on their postsecondary paths. How are they supposed to be successful in college? Clearly, something has got to change because our kids aren’t being educated.
Education Secretary Linda McMahon had plenty to say about these abysmal numbers. In a post on X, she wrote, “Today’s [NAEP] 12th grade math and reading and 8th grade science scores confirm a devastating trend: American students are testing at historic lows. Nearly HALF of America’s high school seniors are testing at below basic levels in math and reading. The status quo is failing our students.”