Alabama is the only state where 4th-grade math scores are higher now than they were in 2019, before the pandemic. This is the story of how the state pulled it off.

Carr highlighted improvement in Louisiana, where fourth grade reading is now back above pre-pandemic levels, and in Alabama, which accomplished that feat in fourth grade math.

A sample of about 600,000 public and private school students in fourth and eighth grade took the reading and math exams in 2019. Their results were released Wednesday.

D.C. fourth graders made major strides in math on the Nation’s Report Card, an achievement city leaders attribute to recent investments in education.

Carr highlighted improvement in Louisiana, where fourth grade reading is now back above pre-pandemic levels, and in Alabama, which accomplished that feat in fourth grade math.

Maryland is among few states seeing improvements in reading skills, but math proficiency declined, according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress.

Virginia’s elementary and middle schoolers are making little-to-no progress in reading and math as many are still recovering in the aftermath of the pandemic.

The new NAEP results are based on performance in reading and math of samples of fourth- and eighth-grade students in every state and in 26 urban districts.

Nationally, fourth-grade math scores improved between 2022 and 2024, a two-point gain that follows a five-point decline from 2019 to 2022, according to a news release.

The math results of an international test of academic skills show that U.S. fourth and eighth grade students are losing ground, while more than a dozen countries are improving.