The Unfinished Recovery

Post-pandemic K-12 learning gaps remain—but some districts have found ways to close them. 

After years of pandemic upheaval, American primary and secondary education finally looks normal again. Students are back in school, mask mandates are gone, and report card grades are at pre-pandemic levels. In September, federal emergency funding for pandemic learning recovery ended, seemingly turning the page on the crisis.

But standardized tests tell a different story. The average American student remains nearly half a grade level behind in both math and reading, according to an analysis of scores by researchers at Harvard’s Center for Education Policy Research, Stanford’s Educational Opportunity Project, and Dartmouth College. Students are now further behind in reading than they were in 2022, when many were still learning remotely. And achievement gaps between high- and low-poverty districts have widened.

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