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Preprimary, Elementary, and Secondary Education

Reading Performance

Last Updated: May 2023
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The average 4th-grade National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reading score of 217 in 2022 was lower than the score of 220 in 2019, but it was not measurably different from the score in 1992. Similarly, the average 8th-grade reading score of 260 in 2022 was lower than the score of 263 in 2019, but it was not measurably different from the score in 1992.
The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) assesses student performance in reading at grades 4, 8, and 12 in both public and private schools across the nation. NAEP reading scale scores range from 0 to 500 for all grade levels.1 NAEP achievement levels are performance standards that describe what students should know and be able to do: NAEP Basic indicates partial mastery of fundamental skills, NAEP Proficient indicates solid academic performance and demonstrated competency over challenging subject matter, and NAEP Advanced indicates superior performance beyond NAEP Proficient.2 NAEP reading assessments have been administered periodically since 1992, more frequently in grades 4 and 8 than in grade 12.3 The grade 4 and grade 8 assessments are also administered at the state level and in selected urban districts.4 For grades 4 and 8, the most recent reading assessments were conducted from January through March of 2022, about 2 years since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic in the United States. For grade 12, the most recent reading assessments were conducted in 2019, before the pandemic.5 Throughout this indicator, reading scores from the most recent assessment year with available data are compared with scores from the immediate prior assessment year and the first assessment year. This indicator presents data on reading performance for lower and higher performing students,6 as well as data by race/ethnicity, sex, English learner (EL) status, disability status, school poverty level, and state.

Select a subgroup characteristic from the drop-down menu below to view relevant text and figures.

Grade level/Student level + Time series
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All available findings Disability English learner (EL) Race/ethnicity Sex or gender Socioeconomic status (SES) State/jurisdiction
Figure 1. Percentage distribution of 4th-, 8th-, and 12th-grade students, by National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reading achievement level: Selected years, 1992–2022
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A confidence interval is a range of values that describes the uncertainty surrounding an estimate. Throughout the Condition of Education, confidence intervals are calculated as the estimate +/- the margin of error, based on a 95 percent level of confidence. This means that there is 95 percent certainty that the range includes the true or actual value of the statistic.
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— Not available.

† Not applicable.

NOTE: To estimate the margin of error, the standard error is scaled based on the desired level of confidence in the estimate. Throughout the Condition of Education, margins of error are produced based on a 95 percent level of confidence. Margin of error is calculated as 1.96*standard error. Includes students in public, private, Bureau of Indian Education, and Department of Defense Education Activity schools. Achievement levels are performance standards that describe what students should know and be able to do: NAEP Basic indicates partial mastery of fundamental skills, NAEP Proficient indicates demonstrated competency over challenging subject matter, and NAEP Advanced indicates superior performance beyond NAEP Proficient. NAEP achievement levels are to be used on a trial basis and should be interpreted and used with caution. Testing accommodations (e.g., extended time, small-group testing) for children with disabilities and English learners were not permitted in 1992. Assessment was not conducted for grade 12 in 2022. Although rounded numbers are displayed, the figures are based on unrounded data. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), selected years, 1992–2022 Reading Assessments, NAEP Data Explorer. See Digest of Education Statistics 2022, table 221.12.

Among 4th-grade students in 2022, some 63 percent performed at or above the NAEP Basic achievement level in reading, 33 percent performed at or above NAEP Proficient, and 9 percent performed at NAEP Advanced. Lower percentages of 4th-grade students performed at or above NAEP Basic and NAEP Proficient in 2022 than in 2019. For 4th-grade students in 2022, the percentage who performed
  • at or above NAEP Basic was lower than in 2019 (66 percent) and not measurably different from 1992;
  • at or above NAEP Proficient was lower than in 2019 (35 percent) but higher than in 1992 (29 percent); and
  • at NAEP Advanced was not measurably different from 2019 but higher than in 1992 (6 percent).
Among 8th-grade students in 2022, some 70 percent performed at or above the NAEP Basic achievement level in reading, 31 percent performed at or above NAEP Proficient, and 4 percent performed at NAEP Advanced. Similar to the patterns observed for 4th-grade reading performance, lower percentages of 8th-grade students performed at or above NAEP Basic and NAEP Proficient in 2022 than in 2019. Specifically, for 8th-grade students in 2022, the percentage who performed
  • at or above NAEP Basic was lower than in 2019 (73 percent) and not measurably different from 1992;
  • at or above NAEP Proficient was lower than in 2019 (34 percent) and not measurably different from 1992; and
  • at NAEP Advanced was not measurably different from either 2019 or 1992.
As mentioned earlier in this indicator, the most recent NAEP reading assessment for grade 12 students was conducted in 2019, before the pandemic, and the earliest data available are from 1992. In 2019, some 70 percent of 12th-grade students performed at or above the NAEP Basic achievement level in reading, 37 percent performed at or above NAEP Proficient, and 6 percent performed at NAEP Advanced. For 12th-grade students in 2019, the percentage who performed
  • at or above NAEP Basic was lower than in 2015 (72 percent) and 1992 (80 percent);
  • at or above NAEP Proficient was not measurably different from 2015 but lower than in 1992 (40 percent); and
  • at NAEP Advanced was not measurably different from 2015 but higher than in 1992 (4 percent).
Scale Score Trends for Lower and Higher Performers
Figure 2. Average National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reading scale scores of 4th-grade students, by selected percentiles: Selected years, 1992–2022
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A confidence interval is a range of values that describes the uncertainty surrounding an estimate. Throughout the Condition of Education, confidence intervals are calculated as the estimate +/- the margin of error, based on a 95 percent level of confidence. This means that there is 95 percent certainty that the range includes the true or actual value of the statistic.
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NOTE: To estimate the margin of error, the standard error is scaled based on the desired level of confidence in the estimate. Throughout the Condition of Education, margins of error are produced based on a 95 percent level of confidence. Margin of error is calculated as 1.96*standard error. The percentile represents a specific point on the percentage distribution of all students ranked by their reading score from low to high. For example, 10 percent of students scored at or below the 10th percentile score, while 90 percent of students scored above it. Includes students in public, private, Bureau of Indian Education, and Department of Defense Education Activity schools. The reading scale scores range from 0 to 500. Testing accommodations (e.g., extended time, small-group testing) for children with disabilities and English learners were not permitted in 1992 and 1994.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 1992–2022 Reading Assessments, NAEP Data Explorer. See Digest of Education Statistics 2022, table 221.75.

At grade 4, the average NAEP reading score was lower in 2022 than in 2019. However, changes in performance from 2019 to 2022 were not consistent for the lowest and highest performing students. Specifically, average 4th-grade reading scores
  • for students at the 10th percentile fell by 6 points7 (from 168 in 2019 to 162 in 2022);
  • for all students fell by 3 points (from 220 in 2019 to 217 in 2022); and
  • for students at the 90th percentile were not measurably different between 2019 and 2022 (266).
As a result, the gap between the reading scores of the lowest performing (10th percentile) and highest performing (90th percentile) students was 6 points larger in 2022 (104 points) than in 2019 (98 points). Over the longer period, the score gap in 2022 was 12 points larger than the gap in 1992 (91 points), reflecting a combination of higher average scores achieved by students at the 90th percentile and lower average scores achieved by students at the 10th percentile in 2022.
Figure 3. Average National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reading scale scores of 8th-grade students, by selected percentiles: Selected years, 1992–2022
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A confidence interval is a range of values that describes the uncertainty surrounding an estimate. Throughout the Condition of Education, confidence intervals are calculated as the estimate +/- the margin of error, based on a 95 percent level of confidence. This means that there is 95 percent certainty that the range includes the true or actual value of the statistic.
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NOTE: To estimate the margin of error, the standard error is scaled based on the desired level of confidence in the estimate. Throughout the Condition of Education, margins of error are produced based on a 95 percent level of confidence. Margin of error is calculated as 1.96*standard error. The percentile represents a specific point on the percentage distribution of all students ranked by their reading score from low to high. For example, 10 percent of students scored at or below the 10th percentile score, while 90 percent of students scored above it. Includes students in public, private, Bureau of Indian Education, and Department of Defense Education Activity schools. The reading scale scores range from 0 to 500. Testing accommodations (e.g., extended time, small-group testing) for children with disabilities and English learners were not permitted in 1992 and 1994. Assessment was not conducted for grade 8 in 2000.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 1992–2022 Reading Assessments, NAEP Data Explorer. See Digest of Education Statistics 2022, table 221.75.

At grade 8, the average NAEP reading score was lower in 2022 than in 2019 for all students as well as for the lowest and highest performing students. Specifically, average 8th-grade reading scores
  • for students at the 10th percentile fell by 3 points (from 213 in 2019 to 209 in 2022);
  • for all students fell by 3 points (from 263 in 2019 to 260 in 2022); and
  • for students at the 90th percentile fell by 2 points (from 309 in 2019 to 307 in 2022).
The reading score gap between the lowest and highest performing students was 97 points in 2022, which was not measurably different from the gap in either 2019 or 1992. However, the score gap between the lowest and highest performers has generally been increasing since 2009.
Figure 4. Average National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reading scale scores of 12th-grade students, by selected percentiles: Selected years, 1992–2019
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A confidence interval is a range of values that describes the uncertainty surrounding an estimate. Throughout the Condition of Education, confidence intervals are calculated as the estimate +/- the margin of error, based on a 95 percent level of confidence. This means that there is 95 percent certainty that the range includes the true or actual value of the statistic.
Confidence Interval
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NOTE: To estimate the margin of error, the standard error is scaled based on the desired level of confidence in the estimate. Throughout the Condition of Education, margins of error are produced based on a 95 percent level of confidence. Margin of error is calculated as 1.96*standard error. The percentile represents a specific point on the percentage distribution of all students ranked by their reading score from low to high. For example, 10 percent of students scored at or below the 10th percentile score, while 90 percent of students scored above it. Includes students in public, private, Bureau of Indian Education, and Department of Defense Education Activity schools. The reading scale scores range from 0 to 500. Testing accommodations (e.g., extended time, small-group testing) for children with disabilities and English learners were not permitted in 1992 and 1994. Assessment was not conducted for grade 12 in 2000, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2017, and 2022.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 1992–2019 Reading Assessments, NAEP Data Explorer. See Digest of Education Statistics 2022, table 221.75.

In 2019, before the pandemic, the average grade 12 NAEP reading score (285) was lower than the scores in 2015 (287) and 1992 (292). However, patterns differed for the lowest and highest performing students:
  • At the 10th percentile, the average reading score in 2019 (228) was lower than the scores in 2015 (233) and 1992 (249).
  • At the 90th percentile, the average reading score in 2019 (338) was not measurably different from the score in 2015, but it was higher than the score in 1992 (333).
As a result, the reading score gap between the lowest and highest performing students became larger over time. The score gap in 2019 (109 points) was larger than the gaps in 2015 (105) and 1992 (84).
Scale Scores by Student and School Characteristics
Average NAEP reading scores differed by student characteristics. This section examines achievement by student race/ethnicity, sex, EL status, disability status, and school poverty level. Findings by school poverty level should be interpreted with caution, due to the relatively higher rate at which school poverty data are missing.8
Across grade levels, average NAEP reading scores were generally
  • higher for Asian and White students than for students of other racial/ethnic groups;
  • higher for female students than for male students;
  • lower for EL students than for non-EL students;
  • lower for those identified as students with disabilities than for their peers without disabilities; and
  • higher for students in low-poverty and mid-low-poverty schools than for students in mid-high-poverty and high-poverty schools.9
Changes over time in achievement gaps differed across grade levels. [Race/ethnicity ] [Socioeconomic status (SES) ] [Sex or gender] [Disability] [English learner (EL)]
Figure 5. Average National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reading scale scores of 4th-grade students, by selected characteristics: 2019 and 2022
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A confidence interval is a range of values that describes the uncertainty surrounding an estimate. Throughout the Condition of Education, confidence intervals are calculated as the estimate +/- the margin of error, based on a 95 percent level of confidence. This means that there is 95 percent certainty that the range includes the true or actual value of the statistic.
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1 Students with disabilities include those with an Individualized Education Program (IEP) and those with a 504 plan.

2 The nonresponse rate for free or reduced-price lunch was greater than 15 percent but not greater than 50 percent.

NOTE: To estimate the margin of error, the standard error is scaled based on the desired level of confidence in the estimate. Throughout the Condition of Education, margins of error are produced based on a 95 percent level of confidence. Margin of error is calculated as 1.96*standard error. Includes students in public, private, Bureau of Indian Education, and Department of Defense Education Activity schools. The reading scale scores range from 0 to 500. Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity. Although rounded numbers are displayed, the figures are based on unrounded data.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2019 and 2022 Reading Assessments, NAEP Data Explorer. See Digest of Education Statistics 2022, tables 221.10 and 221.12.

At grade 4, the average NAEP reading score in 2022 was highest for Asian students (241), followed by White students (227). The average reading score was lowest for Black (199) and American Indian/Alaska Native (197) students in 2022. [Race/ethnicity ]
From 2011 through 2022,10 the average NAEP reading scores for Asian and White 4th-grade students were higher than those of their peers of other racial/ethnic groups. In addition, the achievement gaps between Asian students and students of other groups generally grew larger over time. For instance,
  • the Asian-Black achievement gap was larger in 2022 (42 points) than in 2019 (36 points) and 2011 (31 points);
  • the Asian-Hispanic achievement gap was larger in 2022 (36 points) than in 2019 (30 points) and 2011 (30 points); and
  • the Asian-White achievement gap was larger in 2022 (14 points) than in 2019 (9 points) and 2011 (5 points).
In contrast, the achievement gaps between White students and students of other racial/ethnic groups in 2022 were generally not measurably different from the corresponding gaps in 2019 or 2011. The only exceptions were the following:
  • The White-Black achievement gap was larger in 2022 (28 points) than in 2011 (25 points).
  • The White-Hispanic achievement gap was smaller in 2022 (22 points) than in 2011 (24 points).
[Race/ethnicity ]
At grade 4, the average NAEP reading score in 2022 was higher for female students than for male students (221 vs. 214). This pattern has held true for every assessment year since 1992. The 2022 achievement gap between female and male 4th-grade students (6 points) was not measurably different from the gap in 2019 or 1992. [Sex or gender]
In 2022, the average NAEP reading score for 4th-grade EL students (190) was lower than the score for their non-EL peers (222). This pattern has held true for every assessment year since 1998, when NAEP reading scores disaggregated by students’ EL status first became available. The 2022 achievement gap between non-EL and EL 4th-grade students (32 points) was not measurably different from the gap in 2019, but it was smaller than the gap in 1998 (43 points). [English learner (EL)]
In 2022, the average NAEP reading score for 4th-grade students identified as students with disabilities11 (183) was lower than the score for their peers who were not (223). This pattern has held true for every assessment year since 1998, when NAEP reading scores disaggregated by students’ disability status first became available. The 2022 achievement gap by students’ disability status (40 points) was smaller than the gap in 2019 (42 points), but it was not measurably different from the gap in 1998. The narrowing of the achievement gap from 2019 to 2022 was mainly due to the decline in the average reading score of 4th-grade students who were not identified as students with disabilities (from 226 in 2019 to 223 in 2022). [Disability]
NAEP scores can also be disaggregated by the poverty level of the school students attended. In 2022, the average reading score for 4th-grade students in high-poverty schools (211) was lower than the scores for those in mid-low poverty schools (222) and low-poverty schools (237). The 2022 achievement gap between 4th-grade students in low-poverty schools and those in high-poverty schools (25 points) was smaller than the achievement gap in 2019 (34 points). This was driven in part by the increase in the average reading score of students in high-poverty schools (from 206 in 2019 to 211 in 2022). [Socioeconomic status (SES) ]
Figure 6. Average National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reading scale scores of 8th-grade students, by selected characteristics: 2019 and 2022
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A confidence interval is a range of values that describes the uncertainty surrounding an estimate. Throughout the Condition of Education, confidence intervals are calculated as the estimate +/- the margin of error, based on a 95 percent level of confidence. This means that there is 95 percent certainty that the range includes the true or actual value of the statistic.
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1 Students with disabilities include those with an Individualized Education Program (IEP) and those with a 504 plan.

2 The nonresponse rate for free or reduced-price lunch was greater than 15 percent but not greater than 50 percent.

NOTE: To estimate the margin of error, the standard error is scaled based on the desired level of confidence in the estimate. Throughout the Condition of Education, margins of error are produced based on a 95 percent level of confidence. Margin of error is calculated as 1.96*standard error. Includes students in public, private, Bureau of Indian Education, and Department of Defense Education Activity schools. The reading scale scores range from 0 to 500. Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity. Although rounded numbers are displayed, the figures are based on unrounded data.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2019 and 2022 Reading Assessments, NAEP Data Explorer. See Digest of Education Statistics 2022, tables 221.10 and 221.12.

At grade 8, the 2022 patterns in average NAEP reading scores by race/ethnicity were similar to those observed for grade 4. At grade 8, the average reading score was highest for Asian students (283) in 2022, followed by White students (268). The average reading score was lowest for American Indian/Alaska Native students (246) and Black students (244) in 2022. [Race/ethnicity ]
From 2011 through 2022, the average NAEP reading scores for Asian and White 8th-grade students were generally higher than the scores of their peers of other racial/ethnic groups. In addition, the 2022 achievement gaps between Asian students and students of other groups were generally larger than in 2011. For instance,
  • the Asian-Black achievement gap was larger in 2022 (39 points) than in 2011 (28 points);
  • the Asian-Hispanic achievement gap was larger in 2022 (32 points) than in 2011 (25 points); and
  • the Asian-White achievement gap was larger in 2022 (14 points) than in 2019 (11 points) and 2011 (3 points).
In contrast, although the White-Black and White-Hispanic achievement gaps were smaller in 2022 than in 2019, only the White-Hispanic gap was smaller in 2022 than in 2011:
  • The White-Black achievement gap was smaller in 2022 (25 points) than in 2019 (28 points).
  • The White-Hispanic achievement gap was smaller in 2022 (18 points) than in 2019 (20 points) and 2011 (22 points).
The narrowing of the White-Black and White-Hispanic achievement gaps from 2019 to 2022 was primarily driven by the decline in the average reading score of White 8th-grade students (from 272 in 2019 to 268 in 2022), while the reading score of their peers of other racial/ethnic groups did not change measurably during this period. [Race/ethnicity ]
At grade 8, the average NAEP reading score in 2022 was higher for female students than for male students (265 vs. 256). This pattern has held true for every assessment year since 1992. The 2022 achievement gap between female and male 8th-grade students (8 points) was smaller than the female-male achievement gap in 2019 (11 points) and 1992 (13 points). [Sex or gender]
In 2022, the average NAEP reading score for 8th-grade EL students (225) was lower than the score for their non-EL peers (264). This pattern has held true for every assessment year since 1998, when these disaggregated scores first became available. The 2022 achievement gap between non-EL and EL 8th-grade students (39 points) was smaller than the achievement gap in 2019 (45 points) and 1998 (46 points). From 2019 to 2022, the average reading score of 8th-grade non-EL students decreased by 2 points, while the score of their EL peers increased by 4 points, leading to the narrowing of the achievement gap during this period. [English learner (EL)]
In 2022, the average NAEP reading score for 8th-grade students identified as students with disabilities (229) was lower than the score for their peers who were not (265). This pattern has held true for every assessment year since 1998, when these disaggregated scores first became available. The 2022 achievement gap by 8th-grade students’ disability status (37 points) was smaller than the gap in 2019 (39 points), but it was not measurably different from the gap in 1998. This narrowing of the achievement gap from 2019 to 2022 was due to the decline in the reading score of 8th-grade students who were not identified as students with disabilities (from 268 in 2019 to 265 in 2022). [Disability]
In 2022, the average NAEP reading score for 8th-grade students was lower for those in high-poverty schools (258) and mid-high-poverty schools (254) than for their peers in mid-low-poverty schools (264) and low-poverty schools (274). The achievement gap between 8th-grade students in low-poverty schools and those in high-poverty schools in 2022 (17 points) was smaller than the achievement gap in 2019 (30 points). From 2019 to 2022, the average reading score of 8th-grade students in low-poverty schools decreased by 4 points, while the score of their peers in high-poverty schools increased by 9 points, leading to the narrowing of the achievement gap during this period. [Socioeconomic status (SES) ]
Figure 7. Average National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reading scale scores of 12th-grade students, by selected characteristics: 2015 and 2019
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A confidence interval is a range of values that describes the uncertainty surrounding an estimate. Throughout the Condition of Education, confidence intervals are calculated as the estimate +/- the margin of error, based on a 95 percent level of confidence. This means that there is 95 percent certainty that the range includes the true or actual value of the statistic.
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† Not applicable.

‡Reporting standards not met. Either there are too few cases for a reliable estimate or the coefficient of variation (CV) is 50 percent or greater.

1 Students with disabilities include those with an Individualized Education Program (IEP) and those with a 504 plan.

2 The nonresponse rate for free or reduced-price lunch in 2019 was greater than 15 percent but not greater than 50 percent.

NOTE: To estimate the margin of error, the standard error is scaled based on the desired level of confidence in the estimate. Throughout the Condition of Education, margins of error are produced based on a 95 percent level of confidence. Margin of error is calculated as 1.96*standard error. Includes students in public, private, Bureau of Indian Education, and Department of Defense Education Activity schools. The reading scale scores range from 0 to 500. Assessment was not conducted for grade 12 in 2022. Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity. Although rounded numbers are displayed, the figures are based on unrounded data.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2015 and 2019 Reading Assessments, NAEP Data Explorer. See Digest of Education Statistics 2022, tables 221.10 and 221.12.

As mentioned earlier in this indicator, the most recent NAEP reading assessments for grade 12 students were conducted in 2019, before the pandemic. At grade 12, the average reading score in 2019 was highest for Asian students (299), students of Two or more races (295), and White students (295). The average reading scores of students in these racial/ethnic groups were higher than those for Pacific Islander students (278), Hispanic students (274), and American Indian/Alaska Native students (272). The reading score was lowest for Black students (263). [Race/ethnicity ]
Since 2013,12 the average NAEP reading score has been generally higher for 12th-grade students who were Asian, White, and of Two or more races than for their peers of other racial/ethnic groups. Additionally, the 2019 achievement gaps between these three groups and other groups were generally not measurably different when compared with the corresponding achievement gaps in 2015 or 2013. The only exceptions were as follows:
  • The Asian-Black achievement gap was larger in 2019 (36 points) than in 2013 (29 points).
  • The achievement gap between students of Two or more races and those who were Black was larger in 2019 (32 points) than in 2013 (23 points).
These growing achievement gaps were driven in part by a decline in the average reading score of Black 12th-grade students (from 268 in 2013 to 263 in 2019). [Race/ethnicity ]
At grade 12, the average NAEP reading score in 2019 was higher for female students than for male students (292 vs. 279). This pattern has held true for every assessment year since 1992. The 2019 achievement gap between female and male 12th-grade students (13 points) was not measurably different from the gap in 2015 or in 1992 [Sex or gender]
In 2019, the average NAEP reading score for 12th-grade EL students (235) was lower than the score for their non-EL peers (288). This pattern has held true for every assessment year since 1998, when these disaggregated scores first became available. The 2019 achievement gap between non-EL and EL students (53 points) was not measurably different from the achievement gap in 2015, but it was larger than the gap in 1998 (46 points). [English learner (EL)]
In 2019, the average NAEP reading score for 12th-grade students who were identified as students with disabilities (252) was lower than the score for their peers who were not (290). This pattern has held true for every assessment year since 1998, when these disaggregated scores first became available. The 2019 achievement gap by 12th-grade students’ disability status (38 points) was not measurably different from the achievement gap in 2015, but it was smaller than the achievement gap in 1998 (48 points). [Disability]
In 2019, the average NAEP reading score for 12th-grade students in high-poverty schools (266) was lower than the scores for 12th-grade students in mid-high-poverty schools (278), mid-low-poverty schools (288), and low-poverty schools (301). [Socioeconomic status (SES) ]
Figure 8. Change in average National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reading scale scores of 4th- and 8th-grade public school students, by state or jurisdiction: 2019 to 2022
Figure 8. Change in average National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reading scale scores of 4th- and 8th-grade public school students, by state or jurisdiction: 2019 to 2022

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2019 and 2022 Reading Assessments, NAEP Data Explorer. See Digest of Education Statistics 2022, tables 221.40 and 221.60.

NAEP results also permit state-level comparisons of the reading achievement of 4th- and 8th-grade students in public schools.13 The national average reading score for 4th-grade public school students decreased from 219 in 2019 to 216 in 2022. Among the 50 states and the District of Columbia, reading scores in 2022 for 4th-grade public school students
  • were higher than the national average score in 7 states;
  • were lower than the national average score in 7 states and the District of Columbia;
  • were higher than the 2019 scores in 0 states;
  • were lower than the 2019 scores in 29 states and the District of Columbia; and
  • ranged from 202 in New Mexico to 227 in Massachusetts.
In 2022, the average reading score was 235 for 4th-grade students in Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) public schools. This score was not measurably different from the score in 2019. [State/jurisdiction]
At grade 8, the national average NAEP reading score for public school students decreased from 262 in 2019 to 259 in 2022. Among the 50 states and the District of Columbia, reading scores in 2022 for 8th-grade public school students
  • were higher than the national average score in 9 states;
  • were lower than the national average score in 11 states and the District of Columbia;
  • were higher than the 2019 scores in 0 states;
  • were lower than the 2019 scores in 33 states; and
  • ranged from 248 in New Mexico to 270 in New Jersey.
In 2022, the average reading score was 282 for 8th-grade students in DoDEA public schools. This was an increase from the score in 2019 (280). [State/jurisdiction]

1 Although average scores are reported on a 0–500 scale at grades 4, 8, and 12, the scale scores were derived separately, and therefore scores cannot be compared across grades. For more information on NAEP, including the history of the assessment, sampling procedures, and the transition from paper-based assessments to digitally based assessments, please see https://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/.

2 The NAEP achievement-level setting is based on the judgments of a broadly representative panel of teachers, education specialists, and members of the general public. The authorizing legislation for NAEP requires that the achievement levels be used on a trial basis until the Commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) determines that the achievement levels are reasonable, valid, and informative to the public (20 USC § 9622(e)(2)(C)). The NCES Commissioner’s determination is to be based on a congressionally mandated, rigorous, and independent evaluation. The latest evaluation of the achievement levels was conducted by a committee convened by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in 2016. The evaluation concluded that further evidence should be gathered to determine whether the achievement levels are reasonable, valid, and informative. Accordingly, the NCES Commissioner determined that the trial status of the achievement levels should be maintained at this time. Read more about the NAEP reading achievement levels by grade.

3 This indicator presents data from the Main NAEP reading assessment, which is not comparable to the Long-Term Trend NAEP reading assessment. The Main NAEP reading assessment was first administered in 1992 and assesses student performance at grades 4, 8, and 12, while the Long-Term Trend NAEP reading assessment was first administered in 1971 and assesses student performance at ages 9, 13, and 17. In addition, the two assessments differ in the content assessed, how often the assessment is administered, and how the results are reported.

4 NAEP collects public school data from urban districts at grades 4 and 8 based on the same reading assessment used to report national and state results. Twenty-six districts participated in the 2022 Trial Urban District Assessment (TUDA). For TUDA results in reading, see https://www.nationsreportcard.gov/reading/districts/scores/?grade=4 and https://www.nationsreportcard.gov/reading/districts/scores/?grade=8.

5 NAEP reading scores for 4th-grade students in 2022 had a mean of 217 and a standard deviation (SD) of 40. NAEP reading scores for 8th-grade students in 2022 had a mean of 260 and an SD of 38. NAEP reading scores for 12th-grade students in 2019 had a mean of 285 and an SD of 42 (retrieved December 15, 2022, from the Main NAEP Data Explorer).

6 NAEP scores are reported at five selected percentiles to show the progress made by lower performing (10th and 25th percentiles), middle-performing (50th percentile), and higher performing (75th and 90th percentiles) students. This indicator focuses on the lowest performing (10th percentile) and the highest performing (90th percentile) students.

7 Throughout this indicator, score differences (gaps) are calculated using unrounded data and, therefore, may differ from values calculated using the rounded scores presented.

8 Nonresponse for this variable was greater than 15 percent but not greater than 50 percent.

9 High-poverty schools are defined here as schools where 76 to 100 percent of the students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch (FRPL); mid-high-poverty schools are schools where 51 to 75 percent of the students are eligible for FRPL; mid-low-poverty schools are schools where 26 to 50 percent of the students are eligible for FRPL; and low-poverty schools are schools where 25 percent or less of the students are eligible for FRPL.

10 This indicator presents grades 4 and 8 trend analyses for race/ethnicity since 2011, when NAEP began reporting separate data for Asian students, Pacific Islander students, and students of Two or more races.

11 Students with disabilities include those with an Individualized Education Program (IEP) and those with a 504 plan.

12 In 2013, NAEP began reporting separate data at the 12th-grade level for Asian students, Pacific Islander students, and students of Two or more races. Thus, this indicator presents grade 12 trend analyses for race/ethnicity since 2013.

13 NAEP results serve as a common metric for all states and are not comparable to results from assessments administered by state education agencies.

Supplemental Information

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Table 221.10 (Digest 2022): Average National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reading scale score, by sex, race/ethnicity, and grade: Selected years, 1992 through 2022;
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Table 221.12 (Digest 2022): Average National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reading scale score and percentage of students attaining NAEP reading achievement levels, by selected school and student characteristics and grade: Selected years, 1992 through 2022;
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Table 221.40 (Digest 2022): Average National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reading scale score of 4th-grade public school students, by state: Selected years, 1992 through 2022;
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Table 221.60 (Digest 2022): Average National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reading scale score of 8th-grade public school students, by state: Selected years, 1998 through 2022;
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Table 221.75 (Digest 2022): Average National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reading scale score and standard deviation, by selected student characteristics, percentile, and grade: Selected years, 1992 through 2022
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Achievement gap Achievement levels, NAEP English learner (EL) Public school or institution Racial/ethnic group
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Reading Performance - May 2020
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Reading Performance - May 2019
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Reading Performance - May 2018
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Reading Performance - May 2017
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Reading Performance - May 2016
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Reading Performance - May 2015
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Reading Performance - May 2014
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Reading Performance - May 2013
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Suggested Citation

National Center for Education Statistics. (2023). Reading Performance. Condition of Education. U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences. Retrieved [date], from https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator/cnb.