Academic Achievement

Read more about how students are performing academically
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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
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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
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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
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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.
Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, May 29, 2026
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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
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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
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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
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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
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4 min read
Fifth-grader Willow Miller raises the U.S. and Nevada flags in a daily flag-raising ceremony to start the school day in Good Springs, Nev., on March 30, 2022. Teacher Abbey Crouse assists at right. The school, along with an elementary, middle and high school in neighboring Sandy Valley, are the only schools in the mostly urban Clark County School District to meet just four days a week.
A student raises the U.S. and Nevada flags to start the school day on March 30, 2022, in Goodsprings, Nev., where the elementary school meets four days week. A growing number of schools have turned to four-day weeks over the past two decades, sometimes for budget reasons, other times for teacher recruitment and retention. But the payoff isn't always clear-cut.
Steve Marcus/Las Vegas Sun via AP
School & District Management Explainer The 4-Day School Week: What Research Shows About the Alternative Schedule
More schools have shifted to the four-day week. How common is it? Does it save money and attract teachers?
Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, April 9, 2026
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7 min read
Photo collage of two math worksheets on a dark blue background made of floating equations.
Photo illustration by Gina Tomko/Education Week + Canva; photos by Atticus Cuellar for Education Week
Mathematics A New Approach to Algebra in 8th Grade Seems to Produce Big Benefits
Middle schoolers who took grade-level math and Algebra 1 together benefited, a study finds.
Sarah Schwartz, April 1, 2026
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4 min read
A second grader works on math problems at Place Bridge Academy, May 20, 2025, in Denver.
A second grader works on math problems at a school on May 20, 2025, in Denver. New research shows that children born during the pandemic who are now in 1st and 2nd grades, are showing slightly lower growth than other cohorts.
Rebecca Slezak/AP
Student Achievement The ‘Pandemic Babies’ Are Now in 1st and 2nd Grade. How Are They Doing?
Achievement is still lower for kids who were toddlers during the pandemic—even though they didn't experience school closures.
Sarah Schwartz, March 10, 2026
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3 min read
Photo of girl walking in school courtyard.
iStock
Student Absenteeism Absenteeism May Hurt Academics Long Before It Becomes 'Chronic'
The 10% threshold for chronic absenteeism may be too high to predict academic risk, study says.
Evie Blad, January 21, 2026
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4 min read
Image of students working at desks, wearing black and white school uniforms.
iStock/Getty
School Choice & Charters As School Choice Goes Universal, What New Research Is Showing
New analyses shed light on the students using state funds for private school and the schools they attend.
Matthew Stone & Caitlynn Peetz Stephens, January 15, 2026
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9 min read
Governor Ron DeSantis speaks at a press conference at FHP Troop D Headquarters on International Drive in Orlando on Aug. 1, 2025. During the press conference, DeSantis addressed law enforcement and the Florida Highway Patrol's efforts and responsibility to apprehend illegal immigrants in the state.
Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks at a press conference at FHP Troop D Headquarters in Orlando on Aug. 1, 2025, where he discussed law enforcement and the Florida Highway Patrol’s role in apprehending undocumented immigrants in the state. A new study links increased immigration enforcement in Florida to declines in student test scores.
Rich Pope/Orlando Sentinel via TNS
Student Achievement When ICE Arrests Rise, Student Test Scores Fall, New Study Suggests
The working paper focused on a Florida district where both foreign-born and U.S. born students saw test scores drop.
Ileana Najarro, November 13, 2025
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4 min read