ELA & Math Proficiency Changes Post-Pandemic
An initial look at 12 states
Overview
Today we are summarizing where we are thus far with 2025 student achievement and recovery post-pandemic, specifically for students in grades 3-8. As most readers know, state-level test scores declined across states in ELA and math scores from 2019 to 2021 (the first post-pandemic testing year). Since then, recovery has been variable by state and subject.
Looking at Trends Across States
Below, we’re sharing a summary of initial states with available 2025 assessment data. This subset also is limited to states with data comparable to 2019 - in other words, we are excluding states with new state assessments since 2021, as we cannot make valid comparisons to pre-pandemic outcomes.
Currently, we have 12 states that meet this criteria in math, and 10 states for ELA:
Colorado
Connecticut
Georgia
Indiana
Iowa
Louisiana
Michigan
Minnesota
New Hampshire
South Carolina (math only)
Tennessee
Virginia (math only)
Looking at Recovery in 2025
In line with results in 2023 and 2024, the overall recovery pattern in 2025 is significantly more varied in ELA than in math, which has shown more steady progress toward pre-pandemic proficiency rates for most states.
Of this sample of states:
Only 2 states have surpassed their 2019 ELA proficiency levels in 2025: Iowa and Tennessee.
Only 3 states have surpassed their 2019 math proficiency levels in 2024: Colorado, Iowa, and Tennessee. Georgia reached 2019 rates this year.
In the two graphs below, we present information for ELA and math outcomes by state for students in grades 3-8 in two ways:
First, we show the change in proficiency from 2019 to 2021 (for all states, this was a decline in both subjects), represented by the red dot for each state; and
Then, we show the change from 2019 to 2025, represented by a blue dot.
States with a negative value here remain below their 2019 rates
States with a positive value here have surpassed their 2019 rates
For example: in Tennessee, ELA proficiency rates declined by 5.3 percentage points from 2019 to 2021. However, by 2025 the proficiency rates were 5.2 percentage points higher than in 2019, demonstrating full recovery and additional progress. In Minnesota, ELA pass rates declined by 7.3 percentage points from 2019 to 2021, but then further declined such that pass rates in 2025 were actually 9.7 percentage points lower than 2019.
As a reminder, each state administers its own state assessment, so the number of students who are proficient in one state cannot be directly compared to another state, and is not the focus here. Rather, we believe there is value in reviewing patterns of academic recovery across states as a starting place for understanding where there are pockets of success to explore and build upon.
We will continue to provide updates throughout the fall as more state results are reported. As always, if the raw data are of value to you or your organization, or if you have any questions, please reach out to info@eddatacenter.org and we are happy to help.