U.S. High School Seniors Post Worst Test Scores in Decades, Raising Alarm Over Nation’s Future

American high school seniors are leaving classrooms less prepared than at any point in recent history, according to sobering national test results released Tuesday that show steep declines in math and reading skills.

Just 22% of 12th-graders scored proficient in math — the lowest level since the exam was first administered in 2005 — while only 35% reached proficiency in reading, the worst showing since the test began in 1992, according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, known as the Nation’s Report Card.

Education Secretary Linda McMahon called the results a “devastating trend,” warning that nearly half of seniors are now testing below basic levels in both subjects. “The achievement gap is widening, and more high school seniors are performing below the basic benchmark in math and reading,” McMahon said.

The latest findings reflect a three-point drop in average math and reading scores since 2019 and confirm a downward trajectory that predates the COVID-19 pandemic. The steepest declines came among the nation’s lowest-performing students, with record lows posted in the 10th and 25th percentiles. By contrast, scores among top-tier students largely held steady.

Beyond academics, the assessment revealed troubling patterns in attendance: nearly one-third of 12th-graders admitted to missing three or more school days in the month leading up to the exam, a 26% jump from 2019.

The National Report Card has tracked student performance since 1969, testing fourth- and eighth-graders every two years and high school seniors every four. The latest results, officials said, underscore the urgency for reforms ranging from classroom cell phone bans to new federal “tool kits” on reading and emerging technologies.

“This is a wake-up call,” said Matthew Soldner, acting commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics. “Students are leaving high school unable to read and unprepared for the workforce. The system is failing children and families — and the consequences will reverberate far beyond the classroom.”