Academic Achievement

Read more about how students are performing academically
Second grade students line up after selecting books to check out in the library at Burnett Elementary School in the Pasadena independent school district on Nov. 20, 2024 in Houston. New evidence suggests younger readers are improving though they still haven't caught up from the damage of the pandemic more than five years ago.
<br/>HOUSTON, TEXAS - NOVEMBER 20: Second grade students line up after selecting books to check out in the library at Burnett Elementary School in Pasadena ISD on Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024 in Houston. Pasadena ISD is modernizing their reading standards to include more of the science of reading in earlier grades. The schools are also partnering with CYCLE, a nonprofit that gives students free bikes if they reach their academic goals.
Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images
Student Achievement At Long Last, Reading Scores for Younger Students May Be Rising
After five years of stagnation, elementary and middle schoolers are making slow progress, a new report shows.
Sarah Schwartz, September 15, 2026
3 min read
Karin Prien, Federal Minister of Education, Family, Senior Citizens, Women, and Youth; Francesco Avvisati, OECD, co-author of the PISA study; Prof. Dr. Samuel Greiff, Director of the PISA National Center at TUM and Chairman of the Board of the ZIB; and Anna Stolz, President of the Conference of Education Ministers and Bavarian Minister of State for Education and Cultural Affairs, present the PISA study in Berlin, Germany, on Sept. 8, 2026.
The PISA results were released Sept. 8 and showed global declines in three subjects. International education luminaries presented the findings: Karin Prien, the federal minister of education, family, senior citizens, women, and youth; Francesco Avvisati of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and co-author of the PISA report; Prof. Dr. Samuel Greiff, director of the PISA National Center at the Technical University of Munich; and Anna Stolz, president of the conference of education ministers and Bavarian minister of state for education and cultural affairs.
Christian Marquardt/NurPhoto via AP
Student Achievement 3 Takeaways From the Latest PISA Test of Reading, Math, and Science
The results show reading performance dropping across the world—and one uniquely troubling U.S. trend.
Sarah Schwartz, September 8, 2026
5 min read
Undated file photo of students during a class. Teenagers in the UK are still lagging behind their peers from high-performing countries in maths, reading and science, but some progress has been made in the international rankings. The UK remains outside the top 10 in the latest Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa), which is based on tests taken by 15-year-olds from around the world, behind countries like Singapore, Japan and Estonia. Issue date: Tuesday December 5, 2023.
U.K. students participate in a class on Dec. 5, 2023. Most industrialized countries' 15-year-old students, including those in the United States, performed worse in reading in 2025 than three years previously on an international exam. One bright spot: Students in the United Kingdom performed as well in reading as they did before.
Press Association via AP
Student Achievement Reading Ability Craters on PISA International Exam, Both in the United States and Abroad
The U.S. outperformed most countries in reading and science, but the results show a global phenomenon of poorer readers.
Stephen Sawchuk, September 8, 2026
7 min read
Sixth graders read a passage and give constructive feedback to their partners during Nancy Barajas' class at Fairview Elementary School on May 6, 2026, in Modesto, Calif.
Sixth graders read a passage and give constructive feedback to their partners during Nancy Barajas' class at Fairview Elementary School on May 6, 2026, in Modesto, Calif. New research shows the nation's 6th graders' reading scores have flatlined, and the lowest-performing students are losing ground.
Annie Barker/AP
Reading & Literacy Middle Schoolers' Reading Scores Are Still Stuck at Post-Pandemic Lows
New data shows that the lowest-performing students are falling the furthest behind.
Sarah Schwartz, August 4, 2026
4 min read
MVCS 5100
Research confirms what many educators know: chronic absenteeism undermines student academic recovery. A view of an empty classroom at a school in Colorado Springs, Colo., Feb. 12, 2026.
Kevin Mohatt for Education Week
Student Absenteeism Chronic Absenteeism Is Linked to Slower Academic Recovery in Math, Reading
A new study adds to the evidence base suggesting attendance is a key to raising student achievement.
Sarah Schwartz, July 22, 2026
3 min read
Estes Elementary School kindergarten students Evelyn Bolmer, front left; Jase Bellamy, back right; and Eric Guarneros, front right, listen as their teacher Faith Harralson assists Bolmer with a math equation, as they ride pedal desks at school in Owensboro, Ky., Jan. 19, 2016.
Estes Elementary School kindergarten students Evelyn Bolmer, front left; Jase Bellamy, back right; and Eric Guarneros, front right, listen as their teacher Faith Harralson assists Bolmer with a math equation, as they ride pedal desks at school in Owensboro, Ky., Jan. 19, 2016. New research shows students who start kindergarten behind in reading and math are unlikely to catch up by 3rd grade.
Jenny Sevcik/The Messenger-Inquirer via AP
Reading & Literacy Kindergartners' Math and Reading Scores Can Predict Their 3rd Grade Performance
But their academic trajectories aren't set in stone, and early intervention is key, researchers say.
Sarah Schwartz, June 25, 2026
3 min read
062026 op Burk NAEP ART 1350800003
Vanessa Solis/Education Week + iStock/Getty
Student Achievement Opinion Teen Math and Reading Scores Prove It: We Have a Middle School Problem
Younger students show signs of learning recovery, while teens are left behind. How can we fix that?
Kymyona Burk, June 15, 2026
5 min read
On Oct. 22, 2024 , Jeff Simon, center, works with math students Gabriel Raposo, right, and Luka Esquer, left, using online AI tools to check their algebra work at Sage Creek High School in Carlsbad.
Jeff Simon, center, works with math students using online AI tools to check their algebra work at Sage Creek High School in Carlsbad, Calif. on Oct. 22, 2024. EdWeek Research Center data show that fractions and fluency in basic operations are among the areas that most confuse middle and high school students.
Nelvin C. Cepeda/The San Diego Union-Tribune via TNS
Mathematics From Our Research Center Here Are the Math Concepts That Trip Up Middle and High School Students
An EdWeek Research Center survey asked educators about the biggest challenges they see in the subject.
Sean Cavanagh, June 11, 2026
1 min read
Students eat lunch at Munger Elementary-Middle School on May 7, 2026, in Detroit.
Students eat lunch at an elementary-middle school on May 7, 2026, in Detroit. The 2025 release of the National Assessment of Educational Progress’ Long-Term Trend data indicates that 13-year-old middle schoolers' scores in reading and math have stagnated, showing no statistically significant changes from the last test administration in 2023.
Paul Sancya/AP
Student Achievement Reading and Math Scores Rise for Younger Kids, Stall for Teens
New results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress show diverging trends for 9- and 13-year-olds.
Sarah Schwartz, June 10, 2026
5 min read
Boston Latin Academy student Lila Conley, 16, works on a pre-calculus problem during the Bridge to Calculus summer program at Northeastern University in Boston on Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2023.
A student, 16, works on a pre-calculus problem during a summer program at Northeastern University in Boston on Aug. 1, 2023. A new report by two Stanford University researchers points to a range of trends in U.S. education that complicate the narrative of an education system in decline.
Reba Saldanha/AP
Student Achievement Are U.S. Schools in Decline? Two Researchers Question That Narrative
They looked at a range of indicators that complicate the narrative of an education system in decline.
4 min read
Teens are getting less sleep than ever, but schools can help counteract it by establishing a "culture of sleep," experts say. A Mansfield Senior High School student rests during his health class on sleep, in Mansfield, Ohio, Dec. 6, 2024.
A Mansfield Senior High School student rests during his health class on sleep, in Mansfield, Ohio, Dec. 6, 2024.
Phil Long/AP
Student Well-Being & Movement Q&A Teen Sleep Problems Are Hurting Academics and Wellness
A new study says teens are sleeping at a record low rate, affecting cognitive ability and health.
Jennifer Vilcarino, May 19, 2026
5 min read
Anjanette McNeely teaches a reading block with her kindergarten students at Windridge Elementary School in Kaysville, Utah, on Dec. 4, 2025.
What's to blame for huge decreases in student achievement over the past decade? Some say a less intensive federal role in school accountability after the No Child Left Behind law was replaced. Anjanette McNeely remembers the pressure of making sure her school met "adequate yearly progress" during the NCLB era. The teacher leads a reading block with her kindergarten students at Windridge Elementary School in Kaysville, Utah, on Dec. 4, 2025.
Niki Chan Wylie for Education Week
Standards & Accountability The U.S. Is in a 'Learning Recession.' Is NCLB's End to Blame?
“Our challenge didn’t start or end with the pandemic,” said one of the authors of a new report.
Sarah Schwartz, May 15, 2026
6 min read
A pencil leaning against the wall. The shadow of a ladder shade reflected on the wall.
Education Week + E+/Getty
Federal Opinion Trump's K-12 Leader: Let’s Improve Assessment Without Sacrificing Accountability
The Ed. Dept. is shrinking the federal footprint but raising academic expectations, says Kirsten Baesler.
Kirsten Baesler, May 15, 2026
4 min read
McNeal Stewart, one of the math teachers at Algebra Lab at Adams High School, was teaching an Algebra class on Friday, April 17, 2026 at South Bend, IN.
McNeal Stewart, one of the math teachers at Algebra Lab at Adams High School, teaches an Algebra class on April 17, 2026 at South Bend, Ind.
Arthur Maiorella for Education Week
Mathematics From Our Research Center Elementary Math Has Been in Focus. But Middle and High School Students' Struggles Are Daunting
An EdWeek Research Center survey finds that educators see older students' lack of progress in the subject as an acute problem.
Evie Blad, May 4, 2026
4 min read