Statement from Amy Loyd, President & CEO of All4Ed, on 2024 NAEP Results
Date: Tuesday, September 9, 2025
Contact: Enrique A. Chaurand
Email: echaurand@all4ed.org
Washington, D.C. – “Today’s NAEP results are another sobering reminder of the urgent need to invest in our students and strengthen—not dismantle—our public education system. Eighth-grade science scores fell by four points since 2019, and 12th-grade math and reading scores dropped by three points. Even more troubling, average 12th-grade math and reading performance is now below where it was in the early 1990s and 2000s.
“The latest NAEP results also shed light on students’ educational experiences. For the first time, we have a national snapshot of post-pandemic absenteeism among high school seniors. Nearly one-third of twelfth-graders—31 percent—reported missing three or more days of school in the past month, up from 26 percent in 2019. These findings mirror troubling patterns in absenteeism previously reported for fourth- and eighth-graders, underscoring the ongoing challenges students face both inside and outside the classroom.
“These declines come at a time when the Trump administration has slashed resources at the U.S. Department of Education, including massive cuts to the Institute of Education Sciences—the very agency responsible for measuring student progress and providing the data we need to respond. Weakening our education infrastructure only undermines our ability to support students and close opportunity gaps.
“What these results make clear is that we need strong investments in education, not cuts like those recently proposed by House Republicans. We need the U.S. Department of Education to remain a federal priority, not an agency dismantled for political gain. We need focused attention on historically marginalized students and robust data collection at the state level, not waivers that strip away core protections. And we must create forward-looking pathways that prepare young people for college, career, and life.
“Every student deserves the chance to succeed, and that requires bold leadership and smart investments. Our nation cannot afford to continue a path of disinvestment and neglect. The Nation’s Report Card is clear – we must act now to reverse these trends and deliver on the promise of public education.”
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