Student achievement statistics show a mixed picture: U.S. fourth-grade mathematics performance improved from 2022 to 2024, while reading scores declined. International results also show substantial differences by subject, socioeconomic status, and student experience. Graduation rates have risen over the longer term, but classroom belonging and learning conditions remain important context for educators.
Contents
- National mathematics achievement
- National reading achievement
- Achievement gaps and subgroup differences
- International mathematics, reading, and science benchmarks
- High school completion
- Classroom climate and learning conditions
National mathematics achievement
The 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) provides a national snapshot of mathematics performance in grades 4 and 8. Fourth-grade average scores were 2 points higher in 2024 than in 2022, but they remained 3 points below the 2019 average. The pattern suggests a short-term improvement that did not fully restore the earlier benchmark. These are national assessment results, not classroom grades or individual student growth measures. NAEP Mathematics: Mathematics Results
The 2024 fourth-grade distribution was:
- 76% performed at or above NAEP Basic.
- 39% performed at or above NAEP Proficient.
- 9% performed at the NAEP Advanced level.
- 24% performed below NAEP Basic.
For eighth grade, 28% of students performed at or above NAEP Proficient and 61% performed at or above NAEP Basic in mathematics. The share of eighth-graders at or above NAEP Proficient was 13 percentage points higher in 2024 than in 1990, according to the NAEP national trends reporting. NAEP Mathematics: National Trends and Student Skills
State trends varied. Mathematics scores increased in 15 states or jurisdictions for fourth-grade public-school students between 2022 and 2024. Because the state and district counts describe public-school students, they should not be read as a count of changes across every U.S. student or school type. 2024 NAEP Mathematics and Reading, Grades 4 and 8 - Infographic
NAEP uses assessment-specific achievement levels. NAEP Proficient is not the same as grade-level proficiency defined by a state or district, so comparisons should retain that distinction.
National reading achievement
Reading results were weaker in the 2024 fourth-grade NAEP reporting. Average fourth-grade reading scores were 2 points lower in 2024 than in 2022 and 5 points lower than in 2019. The national distribution also differed notably from mathematics:
| 2024 fourth-grade reading result | Share of students |
|---|---|
| At or above NAEP Basic | 60% |
| At or above NAEP Proficient | 31% |
| At NAEP Advanced | 8% |
| Below NAEP Basic | 40% |
These figures describe performance thresholds, so the categories should not be added together. For example, students at or above Proficient are included within the larger group at or above Basic. NAEP Reading: National Trends and Student Skills
Reading changes also varied across jurisdictions and districts. Average fourth-grade public-school reading scores declined in 5 states or jurisdictions between 2022 and 2024. Among participating Trial Urban District Assessment (TUDA) districts, average fourth-grade public-school reading scores declined in 4 districts and increased in 1. Average eighth-grade public-school reading scores declined in 8 states or jurisdictions and in 7 participating TUDA districts over the same period. NAEP Reading: Performance Trends for States and Districts
The national and jurisdiction results answer different questions. National results summarize representative U.S. samples, while the state and district trend counts refer to public-school students. That scope matters when educators compare a local result with the national picture.
Achievement gaps and subgroup differences
PISA 2022 results for U.S. 15-year-olds show differences by gender and socioeconomic status. In mathematics, U.S. boys outperformed girls by 13 score points. In reading, girls outperformed boys by 22 points. The percentages below show how performance was distributed around PISA’s Level 2 and Level 5 or 6 benchmarks:
- 33% of U.S. boys and 35% of U.S. girls were below Level 2 in mathematics.
- 24% of U.S. boys and 16% of U.S. girls were below Level 2 in reading.
- 10% of U.S. boys and 5% of U.S. girls were mathematics top performers at Level 5 or 6.
- 16% of U.S. girls and 13% of U.S. boys reached reading Level 5 or 6.
Socioeconomic differences were larger still. Socioeconomically advantaged U.S. 15-year-olds outperformed disadvantaged students in mathematics by 102 score points in 2022. The average socioeconomic mathematics gap across OECD countries was 93 points. Socioeconomic status accounted for 15% of the variation in U.S. mathematics performance. At the same time, 11% of disadvantaged U.S. students scored in their country’s top quarter of mathematics performance, compared with 10% across OECD countries. PISA 2022 Results (Volume I and II) - Country Notes: United States
These subgroup statistics describe differences in assessment outcomes; they do not identify a single cause or predict the performance of an individual student. They can help schools ask more precise questions about access, instruction, support, and opportunity.
International mathematics, reading, and science benchmarks
The U.S. PISA 2022 mean scores were 465 points in mathematics, 504 points in reading, and 499 points in science. The share of U.S. 15-year-olds reaching at least Level 2 varied by subject and compared differently with OECD averages:
| PISA 2022 measure | United States | OECD average |
|---|---|---|
| Mathematics at least Level 2 | 66% | 69% |
| Mathematics Level 5 or 6 | 7% | 9% |
| Reading at least Level 2 | 80% | 74% |
| Reading Level 5 or higher | 14% | 7% |
| Science at least Level 2 | 78% | 76% |
| Science Level 5 or 6 | 11% | 7% |
In mathematics, the share of U.S. students below Level 2 increased by 8 percentage points between 2012 and 2022. The international comparisons therefore do not point in one direction across subjects: the United States was below the OECD average on the mathematics measures shown, while it was above the OECD average on the reading and science measures shown. PISA 2022 Results (Volume I and II) - Country Notes: United States
PISA figures describe U.S. 15-year-olds, not all grade levels. The OECD also notes that some U.S. PISA technical participation targets were not met, which is relevant when interpreting these international estimates.
High school completion
Graduation is a different kind of achievement outcome from an assessment score. The U.S. public-school adjusted cohort graduation rate was 87% in the 2021–22 school year, 7 percentage points higher than a decade earlier, in 2011–12. The adjusted cohort measure follows a group of students through high school and accounts for transfers according to the reporting methodology. COE - High School Graduation Rates
The 2021–22 public-school adjusted cohort graduation rates reported by student group were:
- Asian/Pacific Islander students: 94%.
- White students: 90%.
- Hispanic students: 83%.
- Black students: 81%.
These rates show both broad improvement over the decade and differences among groups in the reported year. Graduation should be considered alongside earlier achievement indicators because completing high school and meeting a particular assessment level are related outcomes, but they are not interchangeable measures.
Classroom climate and learning conditions
Achievement statistics are easier to interpret when paired with indicators of students’ learning environments. In PISA 2022, 72% of U.S. students said teachers showed interest in every student’s learning in most mathematics lessons, compared with 63% across OECD countries. 80% said teachers gave extra help when needed, compared with 70% across OECD countries. Meanwhile, 14% said they could not work well in most or all mathematics lessons, versus 23% across OECD countries. PISA 2022 Results (Volume I and II) - Country Notes: United States
Digital distraction was reported by 30% of U.S. students, equal to the OECD average. Belonging indicators were less favorable: 70% of U.S. students reported feeling that they belonged at school, compared with 75% across OECD countries; 22% felt lonely at school, compared with 16%; and 24% felt like an outsider or left out, compared with 17%. Bullying at least a few times a month was reported by 19% of U.S. girls and 18% of U.S. boys.
Family-school communication also changed in the available comparison. In 2022, 31% of U.S. PISA students were in schools where principals said at least half of families discussed progress with a teacher on their own initiative, compared with 43% in 2018. In addition, 64% of U.S. students reported that their school building had been closed for more than three months because of COVID-19, compared with 51% across OECD countries.
These classroom-climate and belonging measures are survey indicators reported alongside achievement results. They do not establish causal effects on achievement. For classroom management planning, they are best used as context for questions about attention, support, relationships, participation, and students’ sense of connection to school.