Scores decline in NAEP reading at grades 4 and 8 compared to 2019
In 2022, the average reading score at both fourth and eighth grade decreased by 3 points compared to 2019. At fourth grade, the average reading score was lower than all previous assessment years going back to 2005 and was not significantly different in comparison to 1992. At eighth grade, the average reading score was lower compared to all previous assessment years going back to 1998 and was not significantly different compared to 1992. In 2022, fourth- and eighth-grade reading scores declined for most states/jurisdictions compared to 2019. Average scores are reported on NAEP reading scales at grades 4 and 8 that range from 0 to 500.
Between January and March 2022, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reading assessment was administered to representative samples of fourth- and eighth-grade students in the nation. Results for the nation reflect the performance of students attending public schools, private schools, Bureau of Indian Education schools, and Department of Defense schools. Results are also available for the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and 26 participating urban districts. Students’ academic achievement during the COVID-19 pandemic is compared to pre-pandemic performance on the 2019 NAEP Reading assessment as well as to previous reading assessments dating back to 1992.
This Report Card Highlights contains key findings from the 2022 reading assessment. See the NAEP Reading Report Card to explore the full set of student performance results and information about students’ learning experiences inside and outside of school. Download a summary of the 2022 reading results.
Scroll to read details for each grade or select items in the table of contents.
Grade 4Region, state, and district performance
Fourth-grade reading scores declined across all regions of the country and in 30 states/jurisdictions
Results for states/jurisdictions reflect the performance of students in public schools only and are reported along with the results for public school students in the nation.
(public)
In 2022, average reading scores at fourth grade declined in all four census-defined regions of the country—Northeast, Midwest, South, and West. Scores were lower by 5, 3, 3, and 2 points, respectively, compared to 2019. Looking at state/jurisdiction performance, average scores were lower in 30 states/jurisdictions and were not significantly different in 22 states/jurisdictions compared to 2019. This is the largest number of states/jurisdictions with score declines in fourth-grade reading going back to the initial assessment in 1992. Among the 30 states/jurisdictions with score declines since 2019, seven scored lower than the national average score for public school students in 2022; twenty had average scores that were not different from the national public average; and 3 scored higher.
Explore detailed state average score results in the NAEP Reading Report Card
Larger proportion of fourth-graders performed below NAEP Basic in reading in 26 states/jurisdictions
Across all states/jurisdictions in 2022, the percentage of students performing below NAEP Basic ranged from 20 to 52 percent; the percentage was 39 percent for public school students nationally. In the 26 states/jurisdictions with larger proportions of students performing below NAEP Basic compared to 2019, percentage increases ranged from 3 to 9 percentage points; nationally, there was a 4 percentage point increase for public school students.
Explore detailed state achievement-level results in the NAEP Reading Report Card
Fourth-grade reading scores declined in nine of 26 participating urban districts; no significant score changes in 17 districts
The Trial Urban District Assessment (TUDA) is intended to focus attention on urban education and measure educational progress within participating urban districts. Fourth-graders in 26 urban districts participated in the reading assessment in 2022. TUDA district results are compared to results of public school students in large cities with a population of 250,000 or more.
In 2022, average fourth-grade reading scores decreased since 2019 in 9 of 26 participating districts, with declines ranging from 6 to 16 points; the average score for large city schools declined 3 points. Among the districts with score declines since 2019, four scored lower than the average for large city schools; 4 districts had average scores that were not different from the large city average, and 1 scored higher.
Explore detailed district average score results in the NAEP Reading Report Card
Larger proportion of fourth-grade students performed below NAEP Basic in reading in seven of 26 participating urban districts
Across all participating districts in 2022, the percentage of fourth-graders performing below NAEP Basic ranged from 30 to 79 percent and the large city average was 47 percent. In the 7 districts with larger proportions of students performing below NAEP Basic compared to 2019, percentage increases ranged from 7 to 14 percentage points; the increase at fourth-grade for large city schools was 4 percentage points. There were no significant changes for students performing below NAEP Basic in 19 districts compared to 2019.
Four of the 9 districts with average reading score declines since 2019 had average scores that were either at NAEP Basic or within the NAEP Basic range in 2022. Five of the 9 districts with average score declines compared to 2019 scored below NAEP Basic in 2022; among these 5 districts, one shifted the average score from within the NAEP Basic range in 2019 to below the NAEP Basic level in 2022.
Explore detailed district achievement-level results in the NAEP Reading Report Card
Grade 4Closer look at student performance
Reading scores decreased at all selected percentiles except at the 90th percentile
NAEP reports scores at five selected percentiles to show the progress made by lower- (10th and 25th percentiles), middle- (50th percentile), and higher- (75th and 90th percentiles) performing students.
In 2022, fourth-grade reading scores declined for students performing at the 10th, 25th, 50th, and 75th percentiles compared to 2019; there was no significant score change for the highest-performing students at the 90th percentile. Score declines for lower-performing students at the 10th and 25th percentiles (6 and 5 points, respectively) were greater than the 1 point decline for higher-performing students at the 75th percentile.
Across the states/jurisdictions at grade 4 in 2022, score declines since 2019 for lower-performing students (10th and 25th percentiles) were more prevalent than score declines for higher-performing students (75th and 90th percentiles) in 2022. Among the 30 states/jurisdictions with score declines, scores decreased for lower-performing students in 16 states/jurisdictions while scores decreased for higher-performing students in 3 states/jurisdictions.
Explore detailed percentile results in the NAEP Reading Report Card
Thirty-seven percent of fourth-graders performed below NAEP Basic in reading; larger percentage compared to 2019
In 2022, the percentage of fourth-graders who performed below the NAEP Basic
Explore detailed Reading achievement-level results in the NAEP Reading Report Card
Reading scores at fourth grade declined for most student groups
Average Score | 75th and 25th Percentiles |
---|
In 2022, average reading scores at fourth grade decreased for most student groups compared to 2019. For example, results by race/ethnicity show that scores declined for American Indian/Alaska native, Black, Hispanic, and White students.
Performance at the lower (25th) and higher (75th) percentiles provides insight into the score declines for selected student groups. Compared to 2019, average scores in 2022 declined at the lower percentile for Black students and students of Two or More Races; scores declined at the lower and higher percentiles for Hispanic and White students.
Average Score | 75th and 25th Percentiles |
---|
In 2022, reading scores also declined since 2019 for male and female fourth-graders. Scores declined at the lower and higher percentiles for female students while scores declined at the lower percentile for male students.
Explore detailed student group score and score gap results in the NAEP Reading Report Card
Average Score | 75th and 25th Percentiles |
---|
Examining results by school location, average reading scores declined since 2019 for fourth-graders attending schools in city, suburban, and town locations while the average score did not significantly change for students attending schools in rural locations. Percentile performance showed the following:
- Scores declined at the lower and higher percentiles for students attending suburban and town schools.
- Scores declined at the lower percentile for students attending city schools.
- There were no significant percentile score changes for students attending rural schools.
Grade 8Region, state, and district performance
Eighth-grade reading scores declined in three of four regions of the country and in 33 states/jurisdictions
Results for states/jurisdictions reflect the performance of students in public schools only and are reported along with the results for public school students in the nation.
(public)
In 2022, average eighth-grade reading scores declined in the Northeast (2 points), Midwest (4 points), and South (3 points) compared to 2019; the average score did not significantly change in the West. The number of states with score declines in 2022 is the largest dating back to the 1998 assessment. Compared to 2019, average scores declined in 33 states and were not significantly different in 18 states/jurisdictions. The average reading score increased in one jurisdiction. Among the 33 states with score declines since 2019, eight scored lower than the national average score for public school students in 2022; 19 had average scores that were not significantly different from the national public average; and 6 scored higher.
Explore detailed state average score results in the NAEP Reading Report Card
Larger proportion of eighth-grade students performed below NAEP Basic in reading in 30 states/jurisdictions
Across all states/jurisdictions in 2022, the percentage of eighth-graders performing below NAEP Basic
Explore detailed state achievement-level results in the NAEP Reading Report Card
Eighth-grade reading scores decreased in four of 26 participating urban districts and increased in one district; no significant score change in 21 districts
The Trial Urban District Assessment (TUDA) is intended to focus attention on urban education and measure educational progress within participating districts. Eighth-graders in 26 urban districts participated in the mathematics assessment in 2022. TUDA district results are compared to results of public school students in large cities with a population of 250,000 or more.
In 2022, average eighth-grade reading scores decreased since 2019 in 4 of 26 participating districts with declines ranging from 4 to 7 points. There was no significant change in the average score for large city schools at grade 8 compared to 2019. Among the participating districts with score declines since 2019, two scored lower than the average for large city schools in 2022 and 2 districts had average scores that were not significantly different from the large city average.
Explore detailed district average score results in the NAEP Reading Report Card
Larger proportion of eighth-grade students performed below NAEP Basic in reading in four of 26 participating districts; smaller percentage in one district
Across all participating districts in 2022, the percentage of eighth-graders performing below NAEP Basic
Two of the 4 districts with reading score declines in 2022 had average scores that were within the NAEP Basic range. One district had a score decline in 2022 that shifted the average score to below the NAEP Basic level.
Explore detailed district achievement-level results in the NAEP Reading Report Card
Grade 8Closer look at student performance
Reading scores decreased for lower-, middle-, and higher-performing eighth-graders
Reading scores were lower in 2022 than in 2019 for eighth-graders across all five selected percentiles. The magnitude of score declines for lower-performing students at the 10th and 25th percentiles (3 and 4 points, respectively) were not significantly different than the declines for higher-performing students at the 75th and 90th percentiles (both 2 points lower than in 2019).
In 2022, among the 33 states with average score declines since 2019, scores decreased for higher-performing students (75th and 90th percentiles) in 4 states and scores decreased for lower-performing students (10th and 25th percentiles) in 9 states. Compared to 2019, scores increased in one jurisdiction for higher-performing students; this jurisdiction had an overall score increase in 2022.
Explore detailed percentile results in the NAEP Reading Report Card
Thirty percent of eighth-grade students performed below NAEP Basic in reading; larger percentage compared to 2019
In 2022, the percentage of eighth-graders performing below the NAEP Basic
Explore detailed Reading achievement-level results in the NAEP Reading Report Card
Eighth-grade reading scores decreased for many student groups; no significant score changes for most racial/ethnic groups
Average Score | 75th and 25th Percentiles |
---|
Among racial/ethnic groups in 2022, the average reading score did not change significantly since 2019 for American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian, Black, Hispanic, and Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander students, and students of Two or More Races.
The non-significant score changes since 2019 for Black and Hispanic students, along with the score decline for White students in 2022, contributed to the narrowing of White-Black and White-Hispanic score gaps between 2019 and 2022. Score gaps between White students and their Asian peers widened in comparison to 2019. See detailed student score gap results in the reading report card.
Performance at the lower (25th) and higher (75th) percentiles provides insight into the score declines for selected student groups. Compared to 2019, average scores in 2022 declined for lower-performing students of Two or More Races and lower- and higher-performing White students. There were no significant score changes for lower- and higher-performing students among the other racial/ethnic groups compared to 2019.
Average Score | 75th and 25th Percentiles |
---|
Average reading scores decreased for male and female students compared to 2019. While female students scored higher on average than their male peers, the 4-point decline for female students was greater than the 1-point decline for male students. Scores in 2022 were lower than in 2019 for female students at the lower and higher percentiles while scores declined for male students only at the lower percentile.
Explore detailed student group score and score gap results in the NAEP Reading Report Card
Average Score | 75th and 25th Percentiles |
---|
Looking at eighth-grade student performance by school location, average scores decreased since 2019 for students attending suburban and rural schools while scores did not significantly change for students attending city and town schools. Performance across selected percentile levels showed that scores declined at the lower and higher percentiles for students attending suburban and rural schools.
Grades 4 & 8Deeper dive into disrupted learning
The selected NAEP grades 4 and 8 reading survey questionnaire results below describe learning disruptions and recovery efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as learning contexts, opportunities, and student and educator perspectives. A special COVID-19 module was added to the 2022 NAEP grades 4 and 8 survey questionnaires to collect self-reported information about students’ learning experiences during the pandemic.
Although comparisons in students’ performance shown below are made based on self-reported student and teacher characteristics and educational experiences, these results cannot be used to establish a cause-and-effect relationship between the characteristics or experiences and student achievement. NAEP is not designed to identify the causes of performance differences. There are many factors that may influence average student achievement, including local educational policies and practices, the quality of teachers, and available resources. Such factors may change over time and vary among student groups.
More frequent access to resources for higher performers learning remotely
57% of students recalled experiencing remote learning last school year. What supports did those students have? | Proportion of lower-performing students (below 25th percentile) | Proportion of higher-performing students (at or above 75th percentile) |
---|---|---|
Had a desktop computer, laptop, or tablet all the time | ||
Had a quiet place to work at least some of the time | ||
Had their teacher available to help with schoolwork at least once or twice a week |
All students who took the reading assessments in 2022 were asked if they ever attended school from home or somewhere else outside of school for any duration during the last school year (2020–21) because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Among fourth-grade students, 57 percent recalled learning remotely during the last school year, 20 percent reported they did not learn remotely, and 23 percent did not remember. Among eighth-grade students, 75 percent recalled learning remotely during the last school year, 16 percent reported they did not learn remotely, and 8 percent did not remember.
Of the fourth- and eighth-grade students who learned remotely during the 2020–21 school year, higher performers (those at or above the 75th percentile) had more frequent access to a desktop computer, laptop, or tablet all the time; a quiet place to work available at least some of the time; and a teacher available to help them with English/language arts schoolwork about once or twice a week or more compared to lower performers (those below the 25th percentile). Additionally, higher-performing grade 8 students reported more participation in real-time video lessons with their teacher every day or almost every day compared to their lower-performing peers.
Most students had teachers who were confident in doing remote instruction tasks; half or fewer had teachers who were confident in their ability to address pandemic-related learning gaps
Teachers of grades 4 and 8 students reported their confidence in teaching their students and addressing their students’ pandemic-related learning gaps in the current school year (2021–22). They also reported their confidence in performing four remote instruction tasks (creating materials to engage students, conducting a distance learning lesson in real-time, providing feedback to students, and helping students with difficulties in distance learning).
Over 80 percent of students at each grade had teachers who were quite or extremely confident in teaching their students this school year. However, 50 percent of students or fewer at each grade had teachers who were quite or extremely confident in their ability to address learning gaps that may have occurred due to pandemic-related school closures. For each of the four remote instruction tasks, over 80 percent of students at grades 4 and 8 had teachers who reported they probably or definitely can perform them.
Grades 4 & 8Explore students' reading comprehension
The NAEP reading assessment measures students’ reading comprehension of literary and informational texts. Students read grade appropriate texts and answer questions about them that require both literal and interpretive understanding as well as critical thinking skills. Learn more about the reading assessment.
In 2022, average scores decreased for both literary and informational texts at both grades 4 and 8 compared to 2019. Among the states/jurisdictions with overall average score declines between 2019 and 2022, 18 states/jurisdictions scored lower in 2022 than in 2019 on literary reading while 29 states scored lower on informational reading at grade 4; at eighth grade, 22 states scored lower in 2022 on literary reading and 30 states scored lower for informational reading. Fewer score changes for either subscale occurred at the district level in 2022 but the pattern was similar; for example, of the 9 districts with score declines at grade 4 in 2022, three scored lower in 2022 than in 2019 on literary and 8 of the 9 scored lower on informational reading.
The 2022 digitally based reading assessment at grades 4 and 8 used discrete question sets as well as scenario-based tasks, which consist of connected questions and concepts integrated into a single real-world scenario. To better understand students’ reading comprehension of literary and informational texts, explore student performance on samples of publicly released reading test questions from the 2022 reading assessments at grades 4 and 8.
Grade 4
Type of texts | 2022 score | 2019 score | Change |
---|---|---|---|
Literary | 221 | 222 | |
Informational | 214 | 219 |
Grade 8
Type of texts | 2022 score | 2019 score | Change |
---|---|---|---|
Literary | 257 | 260 | |
Informational | 263 | 266 |
Type of texts | Number of states/jurisdictions with score declines from 2019 to 2022 | |
---|---|---|
Grade 4 (Among those 30 states/jurisdictions with overall score declines) | Grade 8 (Among those 33 states/jurisdictions with overall score declines) | |
Literary | 18 | 22 |
Informational | 29 | 30 |
Type of texts | Number of districts with score declines from 2019 to 2022 | |
---|---|---|
Grade 4 (Among those 9 districts with overall score declines) | Grade 8 (Among those 4 districts with overall score declines) | |
Literary | 3 | 2 |
Informational | 8 | 3 |
Grades 4 & 8About the reading assessment
Learn more about the NAEP Reading assessment