Students who began their education largely after the disruptions of COVID-19 showed better performance gains on recent national testing than those who lost in-person instruction in the middle of the pandemic.
According to a long-term trends assessment released by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), average scores for 9-year-olds on the 2025 assessments increased by 4 points in both math and reading compared to 2022, and average reading scores for 9-year-olds are back to where they were before the pandemic in 2020.
However, scores in 2025 for 13-year-olds remain unchanged in math and reading from 2023. In both subjects, average scores for 13-year-olds remain lower than they were in 2020. Math and reading scores are also down
compared to 2012, which was a high point, except for students working at the highest performance level.
The results are the latest data point demonstrating the learning that was lost to those students who missed out on formative years in school during the pandemic.
The Dispatch previously reported that the COVID-19 pandemic led to learning loss and fueled issues like chronic absenteeism in Ohio schools, driven in part by a sudden shift to virtual education.
Aaron Churchill, lead Ohio researcher for education think tank Fordham Institute, said that school closures and educational disruptions by pivoting to online education caused a great learning loss for students, especially the 13 -year-olds who were just beginning education. Meanwhile, the 9-year-old cohort tested on the NAEP hadn't yet been in the school system and may not have been impacted as heavily.
Students, he said, still haven't fully recovered from the pandemic in reading or math.
"As we start to see kindergarteners coming into our schools currently, we should hopefully see less of an impact of what happened in 2020, 2021 when they were one or two years old," Churchill said. "It's a little bit less disruptive when you're that age compared to if you had your first or second grade experience taken away from you."
Allyson Hallman-Thrasher, professor and associate dean of the Patton College of Education at Ohio University, also said that the younger cohort on the testing probably did better because they were less impacted by COVID-19 and that in-person instruction is best for education.
However, she noted that the NAEP assessments of 9- and 13-year-olds are extremely different in content, with the latter being more difficult because it involves more challenging topics like algebraic concepts and fractions. Historically, she said, students have struggled with these topics on NAEP exams.
"I think there's the case that our fourth grade students had more in-person instruction than our eighth graders, and there's the case that the content of the fourth grade test is less challenging for students," Hallman-Thrasher said.
National Assessment Governing Board Executive Director Lesley Muldoon said that the results show a "need to bring more attention to middle school."
"As a nation we have to get to work helping adolescent learners achieve at much higher levels so they can be ready for high school and what comes next, whether that's college or careers," Muldoon said in a statement.
Is hope on the horizon for educational results in Ohio?
Churchill said he sees positive trends for Ohio students in the future, especially in light of legislation in recent years mandating science-based phonics reading education and a push to implement a stronger math curriculum in public schools.
"Make sure that we're using good curriculum, that our elementary school teachers are well-prepared, and that our kids are doing well in the basic subjects, and I think that focus is appropriate, and something promising moving forward to get us out of this funk," Churchill said.
Hallman-Thrasher noted that there has been an increased interest at the state level in improving math instruction. Senate Bill 19, which was signed by Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine in June, requires the Ohio Department of Education to develop a list of high-quality curriculum, automatically advance high-performing students and require schools to develop intervention plans for underperforming students.
"I think those actual actions of those things will lead to some more long-term success for students," Hallman-Thrasher said.
Columbus City Schools board President Antoinette Miranda said in an interview that while she is hopeful the new math law and existing "science of reading" law will be effective, she is concerned that they are unfunded mandates for schools in the state.
"If we can have those gains that will start to make a difference, and it will pay off down the road as these kids go to middle school and as they go to high school – (but) we've got to get them in elementary school," Miranda said.
Cole Behrens covers K-12 education and school districts in central Ohio. Have a tip? Contact Cole at cbehrens@dispatch.com or connect with him on X at @Colebehr_report
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: New education data reveals scope of COVID learning loss
