2026 State Test Score Results Data Series
The 2026 State Test Score Results Data Series is published by the Education Data Center and is designed to provide updates on 2026 state assessment data.
What to expect: Our goal is to provide high-level insights on ELA and math state summative assessment outcomes for students in grades 3-8. We will publish overviews as State Education Agencies (SEAs) publicly release assessment results and/or as we receive aggregate results via public records requests.
For additional information about each state assessment, please see the end of this post. All available 2026 assessment data used for this data series will be published by the EDC in December.
Questions, comments, or suggestions? Let us know at info@eddatacenter.org!
Trends Over Time
Last week (Sep 2), the New Hampshire Department of Education released the 2026 ELA and math results from the New Hampshire Statewide Assessment System (NHSAS) for students in grades 3-8. New Hampshire has administered the NHSAS since 2018, providing eight years of comparable data, including pre- and post-pandemic. Results are reported across four achievement levels, with students reaching levels 3-4 considered proficient.
A note on our results below compared to the state-reported outcomes: we focus on Grades 3-8 data from the NHSAS only, while the state combines these results with Grade 11 SAT data.
In 2026, we see strong improvement in math of about +2 points while ELA has largely held steady overall. Neither subject has fully reached pre-pandemic rates set in 2018 and 2019.
ELA: Approximately 53.5% of students in grades 3-8 reached proficiency in 2026, a very slight change from 53.2% in 2025. Results are mixed across grade levels: half of the grade levels show gains of up to 2 points (Grades 3, 5, and 7), while the other half drop about 1 point (Grades 4, 6, and 8).
Math: Approximately 46.0% of students reached proficiency in 2026, a noticeable improvement from 44.1% in 2025 and the fifth year of growth in math. All grade levels either held steady (Grade 4 at 52%) or improved, led by gains in Grade 5 (+3 points) and Grade 7 (+3 points). On the gender gap in math: In 2018, boys and girls performed within 1 point of each other; in 2026, boys outperform girls by about 5.5 points.
The New Hampshire Education Commissioner Caitlin D. Davis shared the following in the department’s recent press release:
“Certain New Hampshire educators and students have demonstrated progress, and we should recognize and build on these gains… At the same time, the Department recognizes that additional gains are needed to ensure more New Hampshire students demonstrate proficiency and are on track for long-term success. These assessments give us valuable information about where students are making progress and where additional work and support are needed.”
Results by Achievement Level
A Closer Look at 2026
State Assessment Background
Assessment Name: New Hampshire Statewide Assessment System (NHSAS)
Additional Information:
More information about the NH Statewide Assessment System (NHSAS) can be found here: https://www.education.nh.gov/who-we-are/division-of-education-and-analytic-resources/bureau-assessment-and-accountability/office-assessment/new-hampshire-statewide-assessment
2026 results are available from the New Hampshire Department of Education here: https://www.education.nh.gov/who-we-are/division-of-educator-and-analytic-resources/bureau-of-education-statistics/assessment-data
The New Hampshire Department of Education 2026 press release can be found here: https://www.education.nh.gov/news-and-media/nhed-announces-2026-student-assessment-results
Data presented here are specific to this state’s assessment and are not comparable to assessments administered by other states. For questions, please reach out to info@eddatacenter.org.
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