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| 2022 Tables and Figures | All Years of Tables and Figures | Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest |
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| Table 224.20. | Average National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) civics scale score, standard deviation, and percentage of students attaining civics achievement levels, by grade level, selected student characteristics, and percentile: Selected years, 1998 through 2022 |
| [Standard errors appear in parentheses] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Selected student characteristic | 4th-graders | 8th-graders | 12th-graders | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 1998 | 2006 | 2010 | 1998 | 2006 | 2010 | 2014 | 2018 | 2022 | 1998 | 2006 | 2010 | |||||||||||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | ||||||||||||
| Average civics scale score1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| All students | 150 | (0.7) | 154 | (1.0) | 157 | (0.8) | 150 | (0.7) | 150 | (0.8) | 151 | (0.8) | 154 | (1.1) | 153 | (0.9) | 150 | (0.6) | 150 | (0.8) | 151 | (0.9) | 148 | (0.8) |
| Sex | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Male | 149 | (1.0) | 153 | (1.1) | 153 | (1.0) | 148 | (0.9) | 149 | (1.0) | 150 | (0.9) | 154 | (1.2) | 151 | (1.0) | 149 | (0.7) | 148 | (1.1) | 150 | (1.1) | 148 | (0.9) |
| Female | 151 | (0.9) | 155 | (1.1) | 160 | (0.8) | 152 | (0.8) | 151 | (0.8) | 152 | (0.8) | 154 | (1.1) | 154 | (0.9) | 151 | (0.8) | 152 | (0.8) | 152 | (1.0) | 148 | (0.9) |
| Race/ethnicity | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| American Indian/Alaska Native | ‡ | (†) | 124 | 7.6 | 143 | 7.0 | ‡ | (†) | 127 | (7.3) | 136 | (12.6) | ‡ | (†) | 139 | (13.9) | 143 | (3.9) | ‡ | (†) | 131 | 3.5 | 134 | 14.6 |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 147 | (4.0) | 154 | (3.8) | 164 | (2.0) | 151 | (8.9) | 154 | (3.2) | 158 | (2.5) | 165 | (3.1) | 169 | (1.8) | 163 | (3.3) | 149 | (5.2) | 155 | (3.1) | 153 | (2.6) |
| Asian2 | --- | (†) | --- | (†) | --- | (†) | --- | (†) | --- | (†) | --- | (†) | 166 | (3.1) | 170 | (1.8) | 164 | (2.8) | --- | (†) | --- | (†) | --- | (†) |
| Pacific Islander2 | --- | (†) | --- | (†) | --- | (†) | --- | (†) | --- | (†) | --- | (†) | ‡ | (†) | ‡ | (†) | ‡ | (†) | --- | (†) | --- | (†) | --- | (†) |
| Black | 130 | (1.1) | 140 | (1.5) | 143 | (1.2) | 131 | (1.2) | 133 | (1.5) | 135 | (1.6) | 137 | (2.1) | 135 | (1.3) | 134 | (1.3) | 130 | (1.6) | 131 | (1.4) | 127 | (1.6) |
| Hispanic | 123 | (2.2) | 138 | (1.3) | 140 | (1.6) | 127 | (1.3) | 131 | (1.1) | 137 | (1.1) | 141 | (1.4) | 141 | (1.2) | 140 | (1.0) | 132 | (1.1) | 134 | (1.1) | 137 | (1.4) |
| White | 158 | (0.9) | 164 | (0.9) | 167 | (0.8) | 158 | (0.9) | 161 | (0.8) | 160 | (0.8) | 164 | (1.0) | 162 | (1.0) | 159 | (0.9) | 157 | (1.0) | 158 | (1.0) | 156 | (0.9) |
| Two or more races2 | --- | (†) | --- | (†) | --- | (†) | --- | (†) | --- | (†) | --- | (†) | 160 | (2.8) | 158 | (1.9) | 153 | (2.4) | --- | (†) | --- | (†) | --- | (†) |
| Parents' highest level of education3 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Did not finish high school | --- | (†) | --- | (†) | --- | (†) | --- | (†) | 129 | (1.6) | 134 | (1.3) | 134 | (1.5) | 137 | (1.5) | 134 | (1.6) | 124 | (2.1) | 126 | (1.8) | 128 | (1.4) |
| Graduated high school | --- | (†) | --- | (†) | --- | (†) | --- | (†) | 140 | (1.3) | 139 | (1.1) | 140 | (1.7) | 140 | (1.2) | 135 | (1.1) | 140 | (1.2) | 138 | (1.0) | 137 | (1.2) |
| Some education after high school | --- | (†) | --- | (†) | --- | (†) | --- | (†) | 153 | (1.0) | 155 | (1.1) | 155 | (1.1) | 154 | (1.0) | 150 | (1.1) | 145 | (1.1) | 150 | (0.9) | 147 | (1.1) |
| Graduated college | --- | (†) | --- | (†) | --- | (†) | --- | (†) | 162 | (0.9) | 162 | (0.8) | 164 | (1.0) | 163 | (0.9) | 161 | (0.8) | 160 | (0.9) | 162 | (1.1) | 158 | (0.9) |
| Eligibility for free or reduced-price lunch |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Eligible | 132 | (0.9) | 139 | (1.1) | 143 | (0.9) | 131 | (1.1) | 132 | (1.0) | 136 | (0.9) | 139 | (1.2) | 140 | (1.0) | 137 | (0.8) | 130 | (1.4) | 133 | (1.0) | 132 | (1.0) |
| Not eligible | 160 | (1.1) | 166 | (0.8) | 169 | (0.8) | 157 | (1.0) | 160 | (0.8) | 163 | (0.7) | 166 | (1.1) | 164 | (0.9) | 161 | (0.8) | 153 | (1.0) | 156 | (1.0) | 155 | (0.9) |
| Unknown | 154 | (2.2) | 167 | (2.1) | 171 | (2.7) | 156 | (2.2) | 171 | (2.4) | 166 | (2.3) | 166 | (2.1) | 166 | (2.4) | 165 | (2.2) | 153 | (1.3) | 160 | (2.4) | 159 | (3.3) |
| Percentile4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 10th | 102 | (1.6) | 111 | (1.9) | 115 | (1.6) | 103 | (1.6) | 102 | (1.6) | 106 | (1.9) | 110 | (1.8) | 107 | (1.4) | 104 | (0.9) | 103 | (1.2) | 104 | (1.2) | 101 | (1.8) |
| 25th | 128 | (0.9) | 134 | (1.2) | 138 | (1.0) | 128 | (1.1) | 128 | (1.5) | 131 | (1.1) | 133 | (1.7) | 131 | (1.2) | 128 | (1.2) | 128 | (1.4) | 128 | (1.2) | 126 | (1.4) |
| 50th | 153 | (1.3) | 156 | (1.1) | 159 | (1.2) | 153 | (0.7) | 154 | (1.1) | 155 | (0.9) | 157 | (1.2) | 156 | (0.9) | 153 | (0.8) | 153 | (0.8) | 154 | (1.1) | 152 | (1.0) |
| 75th | 175 | (0.8) | 176 | (0.9) | 179 | (1.2) | 175 | (1.0) | 175 | (1.0) | 175 | (0.8) | 177 | (1.4) | 177 | (0.9) | 175 | (0.9) | 175 | (0.8) | 176 | (1.0) | 173 | (0.8) |
| 90th | 192 | (0.7) | 192 | (1.1) | 194 | (1.0) | 192 | (0.7) | 191 | (0.6) | 191 | (0.5) | 193 | (1.0) | 193 | (1.0) | 192 | (1.1) | 192 | (0.7) | 194 | (0.9) | 190 | (1.3) |
| Standard deviation of the civics scale score5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| All students | 35 | (0.5) | 31 | (0.5) | 31 | (0.5) | 35 | (0.4) | 35 | (0.5) | 34 | (0.4) | 33 | (0.5) | 34 | (0.4) | 34 | (0.4) | 35 | (0.4) | 35 | (0.4) | 35 | (0.4) |
| Percent of students achieving civics achievement levels | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Achievement level | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Below NAEP Basic | 31 | (1.0) | 27 | (1.2) | 23 | (1.0) | 30 | (0.9) | 30 | (1.1) | 28 | (1.0) | 26 | (1.3) | 27 | (0.9) | 31 | (0.8) | 35 | (0.9) | 34 | (1.1) | 36 | (1.0) |
| At or above NAEP Basic6 | 69 | (1.0) | 73 | (1.2) | 77 | (1.0) | 70 | (0.9) | 70 | (1.1) | 72 | (1.0) | 74 | (1.3) | 73 | (0.9) | 69 | (0.8) | 65 | (0.9) | 66 | (1.1) | 64 | (1.0) |
| At or above NAEP Basic by sex | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Male | 68 | (1.2) | 72 | (1.3) | 73 | (1.3) | 67 | (1.1) | 68 | (1.3) | 70 | (1.1) | 74 | (1.4) | 71 | (1.1) | 67 | (1.0) | 62 | (1.2) | 64 | (1.5) | 63 | (1.0) |
| Female | 70 | (1.0) | 75 | (1.4) | 81 | (1.0) | 73 | (1.2) | 72 | (1.2) | 74 | (1.1) | 75 | (1.4) | 75 | (1.0) | 72 | (1.0) | 68 | (1.2) | 67 | (1.2) | 64 | (1.3) |
| At or above NAEP Basic by race/ethnicity |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
| American Indian/Alaska Native | ‡ | (†) | 38 | (11.3) | 63 | 10.9 | ‡ | (†) | 46 | (9.5) | 56 | (18.0) | ‡ | (†) | 55 | (16.4) | 70 | (6.2) | ‡ | (†) | 42 | (8.0) | 47 | (17.3) |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 66 | (5.5) | 75 | (4.5) | 82 | (2.3) | 69 | (9.5) | 73 | (4.0) | 78 | (2.5) | 83 | (2.8) | 87 | (1.7) | 79 | (4.4) | 63 | (4.8) | 68 | (3.7) | 70 | (3.1) |
| Asian2 | --- | (†) | --- | (†) | --- | (†) | --- | (†) | --- | (†) | --- | (†) | 84 | (2.8) | 88 | (1.7) | 81 | (3.8) | --- | (†) | --- | (†) | --- | (†) |
| Pacific Islander2 | --- | (†) | --- | (†) | --- | (†) | --- | (†) | --- | (†) | --- | (†) | ‡ | (†) | ‡ | (†) | ‡ | (†) | --- | (†) | --- | (†) | --- | (†) |
| Black | 45 | (1.7) | 57 | (2.3) | 62 | (2.2) | 49 | (1.7) | 50 | (2.0) | 53 | (2.3) | 55 | (3.4) | 52 | (1.8) | 51 | (1.9) | 41 | (2.0) | 42 | (1.9) | 38 | (1.9) |
| Hispanic | 40 | (2.8) | 55 | (2.0) | 58 | (2.3) | 44 | (2.3) | 50 | (2.2) | 56 | (1.4) | 61 | (1.7) | 61 | (1.8) | 59 | (1.3) | 45 | (1.9) | 46 | (1.7) | 50 | (1.8) |
| White | 78 | (1.3) | 85 | (1.0) | 87 | (0.9) | 78 | (1.1) | 82 | (0.9) | 82 | (1.0) | 86 | (1.0) | 83 | (0.9) | 80 | (1.1) | 73 | (1.1) | 74 | (1.2) | 73 | (1.0) |
| Two or more races2 | --- | (†) | --- | (†) | --- | (†) | --- | (†) | --- | (†) | --- | (†) | 80 | (3.4) | 78 | (2.4) | 72 | (3.2) | --- | (†) | --- | (†) | --- | (†) |
| At or above NAEP Proficient7 | 23 | (0.9) | 24 | (1.0) | 27 | (0.9) | 22 | (0.8) | 22 | (0.8) | 22 | (0.8) | 23 | (1.1) | 24 | (0.8) | 22 | (0.7) | 26 | (0.9) | 27 | (1.0) | 24 | (0.9) |
| At NAEP Advanced8 | 2 | (0.3) | 1 | (0.2) | 2 | (0.2) | 2 | (0.2) | 2 | (0.2) | 1 | (0.1) | 2 | (0.3) | 2 | (0.3) | 2 | (0.2) | 4 | (0.4) | 5 | (0.4) | 4 | (0.3) |
| ---Not available. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| †Not applicable. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ‡Reporting standards not met (too few cases for a reliable estimate). | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1Scale ranges from 0 to 300 for all three grades, but scores cannot be compared across grades. For example, the average score of 167 for White 4th-graders in 2010 does not denote higher performance than the score of 160 for White 8th-graders in 2010. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2In civics assessments prior to 2014, separate data for Asians, Pacific Islanders, and students of Two or more races were not collected. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 3These data are based on students' responses to questions about their parents' education level. Because the wording of the questions was different in 1998 than in the later assessment years, data from 1998 are not directly comparable to data from 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, and 2022. For all assessment years, data for students whose parents have an unknown level of education are included in table totals, but not shown separately. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 4The percentile represents a specific point on the percentage distribution of all students ranked by their civics 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. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 5The standard deviation provides an indication of how much the test scores varied. The lower the standard deviation, the closer the scores were clustered around the average score. About two-thirds of the student scores can be expected to fall within the range of one standard deviation above and one standard deviation below the average score. For example, the average score for all 8th-graders in 2022 was 150, and the standard deviation was 34. This means that about two-thirds of the students would be expected to have scores between 183 (one standard deviation above the average) and 116 (one standard deviation below). Standard errors also must be taken into account when making comparisons of these ranges. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 6NAEP Basic denotes partial mastery of the knowledge and skills that are fundamental for proficient work. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 7NAEP Proficient represents solid academic performance. Students reaching this level have demonstrated competency over challenging subject matter. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 8NAEP Advanced signifies superior performance. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| NOTE: In 2014, 2018, and 2022, only 8th-grade students were assessed in civics. Includes public, private, Bureau of Indian Education, and Department of Defense Education Activity schools. Includes students tested with accommodations (1 to 13 percent of all students, depending on grade level and year); excludes only those students with disabilities and English learners who were unable to be tested even with accommodations (1 to 5 percent of all students). Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity. 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), 1998, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, and 2022 Civics Assessments, retrieved May 16, 2023, from the Main NAEP Data Explorer (https://www.nationsreportcard.gov/ndecore/xplore/NDE). (This table was prepared May 2023.) |
