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Idaho fourth, eighth graders above national average for reading, math

| January 30, 2025 1:00 AM

The latest scores from the National Assessment for Education Progress show Idaho fourth and eighth graders holding steady in this year’s assessed subjects of math and reading when compared to results from other states.

The Idaho Department of Education reported in a Wednesday news release that only four states scored higher than Idaho in fourth grade reading. The results are comparable to those seen in 2022, in which seven states scored higher than Idaho. Notable in this year’s results is improvement for students with disabilities in Idaho, whose average scores rose 13 points over 2022 results.

Among eighth graders, Idaho scored higher than the national public school average in reading, with only two states scoring higher. As with fourth grade results, eighth grade scores are similar to 2022 scores.

Nationwide, student scores have minimally changed since the National Assessment for Education Progress assessments were last administered to fourth and eighth graders two years ago. While Idaho’s scores also reflect this trend, results remain above the national average for eighth graders and near the national average for fourth graders.

“Though there are obvious opportunities to improve reading scores for these assessed grades, Idaho shows solid performance when compared to national scores, and our own state reading assessment, the Idaho Reading Indicator, shows an 8% gain in reading for Idaho third graders,” Superintendent of Public Instruction Debbie Critchfield said in the news release. “As our educators continue to receive training in the science of reading and effective dyslexia interventions, we will see improvements, especially in comparison with the rest of the nation.”

Idaho saw similar results in mathematics. For fourth graders, Idaho’s scores were not significantly different from the national public school average. Only three states scored higher than Idaho.

For eighth graders, Idaho scored slightly higher than the national average. Only two states scored higher.

“Again, we see both opportunities and successes in Idaho’s math results,” Critchfield said. “We have publicly discussed the gaps and needs for math outcomes, which is why we have worked with the State Board of Education to develop essential math standards and better prepare our classroom educators. Seeing our students consistently outperform nationwide scores is encouraging and reflective of the priorities we have made in reading and math and getting back to basics.” 

The National Assessment for Education Progress is the largest continuing and nationally representative assessment in selected subjects and is administered to students in all 50 states, Washington D.C., Department of Defense Education Activity Schools, Puerto Rico and 26 selected urban districts. Teachers, principals, parents, policymakers and researchers use its results to assess progress and develop ways to improve education in the United States. The assessment is a congressionally mandated project administered by the National Center for Education Statistics and the Institute of Educational Sciences. In Idaho, National Assessment for Education Progress assessed 1,800 students at 90 schools in 2024. 

Info: nationsreportcard.gov