NAEP Scores Signal Urgent Need for Change in American Education

The National Center for Education Statistics just released the latest data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), and the scores continue to paint a sobering picture of academic achievement amongst American students. Despite collective state, local, and federal spending of $857 billion annually on K-12 education, our students continue to fall further and further behind in core academic knowledge.

The latest NAEP data looks at math and reading skills amongst 12th graders and science skills for 8th graders. The results reveal record low scores for 12th graders in both reading and math, while science scores for 8th graders also declined to their lowest level since 2009. Crucially, 45% of 12th graders failed to demonstrate even a basic level of math knowledge and 32% failed to demonstrate a basic level of reading skills. Amongst 8th graders, 38% failed to demonstrate a basic level of science knowledge.

U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon, who was a keynote speaker at ALEC’s Annual Meeting in Indianapolis this year, put it this way:

Today’s NAEP results confirm a devastating trend: American students are testing at historic lows across all of K-12. At a critical juncture when students are about to graduate and enter the workforce, military, or higher education, nearly half of America’s high school seniors are testing at below basic levels in math and reading. Despite spending billions annually on numerous K-12 programs, the achievement gap is widening, and more high school seniors are performing below the basic benchmark in math and reading than ever before.

The lesson is clear. Success isn’t about how much money we spend, but who controls the money and where that money is invested. That’s why President Trump and I are committed to returning control of education to the states so they can innovate and meet each school and students unique needs.”

Secretary McMahon is absolutely correct. Education is ultimately the responsibility of each state, not the federal government. State policymakers are the ones who can pass new laws and regulations that empower parents, put students ahead of systems, and create rigorous systems of accountability. ALEC’s Index of State Education Freedom measures this by looking at each state’s laws in five categories: student-centered funding (education freedom programs), homeschooling, virtual schooling, open enrollment, and charter schools. Florida has earned the #1 spot in both editions of the publication and was the only state to earn an overall grade of “A+” this year, a reflection of the state’s focus on individual students and enabling parents to choose a learning environment that best fits their unique needs.

Elsewhere, achievement gaps continue to grow, and students get left behind because America’s education system has broadly failed to keep pace with new technologies, teaching methods, and other innovations that could benefit students. Too many states still use an outdated and unfair “one-size-fits-all” strategy that exclusively reserves public funds for traditional public schools. The result? For families whose local public school simply doesn’t work for their student, they are forced to pay twice – once in the form of continued tax payments, and again in the form of tuition and other out-of-pocket expenses associated with the new school.

Despite the discouraging NAEP data, there are several things that state policymakers can do to reverse the trend

• Empower Families with Universal Education Freedom: Prior to 2022, no state had created an education savings account (ESA), tax-credit scholarship, voucher, or other program that was available to every student. Today, 17 states have one of these programs that allows any student to apply. ALEC’s Hope Scholarship Act, based off of West Virginia’s universal ESA program, is the gold-standard model policy for universal education freedom.
• Ensure High-Quality Instruction: States are increasing the quality of instruction and materials in a variety of ways. One of the most recognizable is modeled in ALEC’s Science of Reading Act, which requires the use of evidence-based literacy instruction in public elementary schools. According to Education Week, 40 states have passed laws or policies related to this since 2013.

In addition to evidence-based literacy instruction, policymakers can also maximize the quality of instructional materials by ensuring transparency. ALEC’s Academic Transparency Act lays out a template for ensuring that public school K-12 instructional materials are posted online for parents to review in a timely fashion.

• Create Distraction-Free Learning Environments: Cell phones are a major negative factor affecting student learning. In 2024, one survey of high school teachers found that 72% of them said cell phones were “a major problem in the classroom.” In 2025, 22 states responded by passing new laws addressing this issue. Notably, this includes a mix of both red and blue states. ALEC’s Limiting Student Use of Cell Phones in K-12 Schools Act requires local school districts to adopt policies that limit student cell phone use. While the model lays out a minimum threshold for limiting student cell phone use, school districts are free to enact stricter policies if they choose to do so. In addition, teachers are empowered to permit cell phone usage for instructional purposes at any time.
• Minimize Chronic Absenteeism: The NAEP data released this week also reported that 31% of 12th graders reported missing 3 or more days of school in the month prior to taking the assessment. In 2019, this number was 25%. Chronic absenteeism is a rising challenge that states are starting to address. ALEC’s Chronic Absenteeism Model Policy utilizes best practices for addressing this issue, like creating an early-warning system for students at risk of being chronically absent, implementing better attendance monitoring policies, and creating high-quality plans to address attendance issues among individual students.
• Create New Pathways to Certify High-Quality Teachers: According to the Learning Policy Institute there are more than 411,000 teaching positions across the country that are either unfilled or filled by a teacher who lacks full certification. ALEC’s Alternative Teacher Credentialing Act creates a new pathway for prospective teachers to obtain their certification through a program not offered by a college or university. These programs are especially beneficial for adult learners who might be interested in the teaching profession but lack the financial resources or time commitments required by traditional certification pathways.

The latest NAEP scores continue to affirm that change is needed in the way America thinks about K-12 education. We must reimagine it to meet the demands of a rapidly changing economy and society. That means empowering parents, putting students first, and holding schools accountable for the results they produce.