North Carolina students have performed at or above the national average on a key assessment on math and reading, but the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic continue to pose challenges in closing achievement gaps, according to new data from the United States Department of Education.
The results are based on performance in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), often called “the Nation’s Report Card.” The test evaluates fourth and eighth-grade students nationwide in core subjects such as math and reading.
While North Carolina ranked comparably to or better than its peers nationally, the testing data from 2024 highlights a troubling stagnation in North Carolina students’ performance, showing no notable improvement in scale scores across any subject area since 2022, according to a news release from the NC Department of Public Instruction.
Additionally, scores in three of the four tested areas continue to fall below pre-pandemic levels. Specifically, fourth-grade math scores show no statistically significant difference when compared to 2019, underscoring the ongoing challenge of recovering lost academic ground.
“You can try to dress up or try to explain away the NAEP scores as much as you want, it doesn’t change a fundamental fact: the scores for both tests are disappointing and fail to show the expected improvement,” said Dr. Robert Luebke, director of the Center for Effective Education at the John Locke Foundation. “North Carolina received $6.2 billion in COVID relief funds. No less than about $1.25 billion was set aside to help address learning loss. What happened? According to these test results, COVID relief funds had little or no impact. Who is held accountable for another failed effort to improve education? No one. And that’s only the beginning of the problems.”
On the positive side, the percentage of students scoring at or above proficiency in both fourth and eighth grade math was up since 2022.

State superintendent of public instruction Mo Green highlighted that, while the pandemic has ended, its lingering effects on students remain evident. In a statement, he pointed out that the fourth graders who took part in the recent assessments were kindergartners when schools closed in the spring of 2020, while the eighth graders had just started fourth grade at the beginning of the pandemic.
“These students faced significant disruptions during pivotal moments in their education,” Green said. “Though it’s disheartening to see a lack of progress, the NAEP results are consistent with the trends we’re observing in state end-of-grade tests. The growing achievement gap between our highest-performing students and those who require additional support underscores the urgency of our work. My team and I are committed to tackling these challenges over the next four years to drive excellence in our public schools.”
Green added that the literacy test, scheduled for administration in early 2024, does not accurately reflect the strides North Carolina schools have made in literacy education since adopting the science of reading. Between 2021 and June 2024, over 44,000 educators, including teachers, administrators, and coaches, completed the k-5 or early childhood Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling, or LETRS, professional development program.
Recent beginning-of-year data from the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills, or DIBELS 8, assessment shows NC students in grades 1-3 outperforming their national peers. Additionally, students in grades K-3 demonstrated consistent and steady improvement, signaling ongoing progress in early literacy.