The department published results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), the nation's largest education assessment, on Monday, showing average reading and math scores for 12th graders have fallen to their lowest levels on record.

In math, 60% of students could determine a population using population density and area, but fewer than half could accurately convert a real-life situation into an algebraic expression, the report said. The NAEP mathematics assessment measures knowledge across four content areas -- number properties and operations; measurement and geometry; data analysis, statistics, and probability; and algebra -- as well as students' ability to solve problems in mathematical and real-world contexts.

Forty-five percent of 12th graders performed below the NAEP Basic achievement level -- five percentage points higher than in both 2019 and 2005. Twenty-two percent performed at or above NAEP Proficient in 2024, two points lower than in 2019 and not significantly different from 2005. Students at the Proficient level in 2024 were likely able to find the perimeter and area of a figure resulting from cutting four corners from a square.

In reading, two-thirds of students could identify the purpose of a persuasive essay, but only one in five could draw a conclusion from a text using provided data. The NAEP reading assessment uses literary and informational texts to measure comprehension, particularly students' ability to locate and recall information, integrate and interpret what they read, and critique and evaluate text. Thirty-two percent of 12th graders performed below the NAEP Basic level in 2024 -- two points higher than in 2019 and 12 points higher than in 1992. Students at the Basic level were likely able to locate and identify relevant details to support literal comprehension.

"These results are sobering," NCES Acting Commissioner Matthew Soldner said. "The drop in overall scores coincides with significant declines in achievement among our lowest-performing students, continuing a downward trend that began even before the Covid-19 pandemic. Among our nation's high school seniors, we're now seeing a larger percentage of students scoring below the NAEP Basic achievement level in mathematics and reading than in any previous assessment."

U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said the NAEP results confirm a "devastating trend." In a department statement, she said: "At a critical juncture when students are about to graduate and enter the workforce, military, or higher education, nearly half of America's high school seniors are testing at below basic levels in math and reading. 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."

"If America is going to remain globally competitive, students must be able to read proficiently, think critically, and graduate equipped to solve complex problems. We owe it to them to do better."