NAEP Releases Long-Term Trend Results
Since the 1970s, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) has monitored the academic performance of 9-, 13-, and 17-year-old students with what have become known as the long-term trend (LTT) assessments. Although the LTT assessments are typically administered every four years, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) has conducted additional administrations due to their timing coinciding with the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2025 reading and mathematics LTT assessments were administered in the winter (January to March) for age 9 and in the fall (October to December) for age 13 in the 2024-2025 school year. This data is national level only, and no direct Arizona implications can be inferred.
Highlights for Age 9
- Average scores were higher in 2025 than in 2022 for 9-year-old students in reading and mathematics. The average scores in 2025 were 4 points higher in reading and 4 points higher in mathematics compared to 2022.
- These score increases since 2022 were seen among the lower performers at the 10th and 25th percentiles.
- The reading score in 2025 was not significantly different from the pre-COVID pandemic score in 2020.
- The mathematics score was 4 points lower in 2025 compared to 2020.
- The 2025 scores were also higher compared to the earliest assessments in the 1970s.
