Nine-year-olds are recovering academic ground lost during the pandemic, with reading scores now statistically on par with pre-COVID levels and a growing share of students demonstrating foundational math and literacy skills.
The findings come from the 2025 National Assessment of Educational Progress Long-Term Trend Assessment, released by the National Center for Education Statistics. The assessment tracks reading and mathematics performance among 9- and 13-year-olds and provides a historical record dating back to the 1970s.