US student test scores hit 25-year low as education data agency slashed
Math and reading scores have fallen to a 25-year low, and the Trump administration’s reductions to the National Center for Education Statistics have sharply limited the nation’s ability to track student performance.
Reading and math assessments are now at their poorest levels in a quarter-century, a trend unfolding as the Trump administration gutted the Department of Education’s statistical capacity. The National Center for Education Statistics, once staffed by roughly 100 employees, was reduced to four and later rebuilt to only a dozen workers, curtailing key surveys on school safety, college financing and student achievement. Major longitudinal projects like the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study were abruptly halted when a $47 million contract with Westat was cancelled, eliminating the chance to follow pandemic-born cohorts into later grades.
Critics liken the cuts to “shooting one outlet,” noting that years of research and millions of dollars were wasted. Some data collections, such as the postsecondary student aid survey, have since been restored after lawsuits and advocacy pressure. The situation underscores the growing difficulty of obtaining objective, nationwide education metrics at a time when student performance is slipping.
Why it matters
Without reliable education data, policymakers lack the evidence needed to address the sharp decline in U.S. student achievement.
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