In fall 2024, just 32 percent of U.S. schools had recovered to pre-pandemic achievement levels in math or reading, and only 14 percent had recovered in both subjects, according to NWEA’s February brief “From loss to recovery: Diverging paths and uneven gains across schools.”
Researchers examined longitudinal test score data for more than 5 million students across 9,326 schools, defining a school as “recovered” if its average achievement in fall 2024 was at least that of fall 2019 — before the public health crisis began. The analysis covered declines in average achievement from fall 2019 to 2021 and post-pandemic gains from fall 2021 to 2024.
“Schools that recovered in one subject were more likely to have also recovered in the other subject,” the brief states. “Initial declines were larger in math than in reading. However, schools have also made stronger improvements in math in the years since. As a result, recovery rates across the two subjects are now similar: 22 percent of schools have recovered in math and 24 percent in reading.”
Another key finding showed that although recovery was more common in schools that experienced smaller initial academic declines, some schools were able to rebound after deep losses. “Some schools largely resisted initial declines, while others — despite experiencing deep setbacks — have since made above-average gains,” according to the brief. “Both resistance and rebound mattered: schools that recovered typically had smaller initial declines and stronger post-pandemic gains, but there was no single pathway to recovery. Understanding which practices helped schools limit early losses and which enabled others to accelerate learning afterward can provide valuable insights for future policymaking.”
Additionally, NWEA found that recovery rates vary by school type with low-poverty schools, rural and town schools and schools serving primarily white or Asian student populations are more apt to have recovered compared to high-poverty schools, urban schools and those serving historically marginalized student groups — mostly due to deeper initial declines. However, urban, high-poverty and schools serving predominantly Black or Hispanic students “have posted the largest gains since 2021, pointing to real momentum that, if sustained, could support continued progress toward beginning to narrow the achievement gaps that widened during the pandemic,” the brief states.
The brief details recommendations for local educational agency leaders and state policymakers regarding ongoing planning for post-pandemic supports, including:
- Tracking recovery trajectories
- Aligning supports to schools’ recovery trajectories
- Preparing for future crises
- Prioritizing schools with the largest remaining gaps
- Using realistic timelines and benchmarks for recovery
