The 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) results, which were released on Jan. 28 and cover mathematics and reading scores for students in grades 4 and 8, show that while California has made some progress in catching up to the national average, more work remains.

The NAEP, administered by the National Center for Education Statistics housed in the U.S. Department of Education, is the largest and longest-running nationally representative snapshot of how students in grades 4, 8 and 12 are doing in various subjects. It is given to representative samples of students in each state.

The NAEP annually garners national headlines as policymakers, journalists and researchers sift through the data to draw conclusions about students’ educational progress. This attention has only increased post-pandemic. While many hoped for scores closer to those from before the pandemic, performance has continued to remain stagnant.

The NAEP is scored on a 500-point scale and is reported using three categories: Basic, Proficient and Advanced. Each category measures a student’s mastery of the test’s prerequisite knowledge and skills related to academic performance in the grade tested. The NAEP uses a scoring and reporting system that is not directly comparable to the California Assessment of Student Performance Progress (CAASPP).

Over the past 25 years, California has made noteworthy progress in closing the gap between state and national averages. For instance, in 2003, there was a 10-point gap between California’s average fourth-grade reading score (206) and the nation’s average (216). In 2024, that gap closed to 2 points. That same year, the gap between California and the nation’s eighth-grade average math score was 12 points; in 2024, the gap closed to 3.

Though the state is catching up, California’s average still trails national averages in every tested NAEP domain. California’s average scores in math were 233 in grade 4 and 269 in grade 8; compared to the national averages of 269 for fourth graders and 272 for eighth graders. For both grades, California scored in the lower half of states.

California’s average reading scores were 212 in grade 4 and 254 in grade 8. These are also below the national averages of 214 for fourth-grade students and 257 for eighth graders. Fourth-grade students in California scored lower than those in 13 other states and are virtually identical to 35 others. For eighth grade, the state scored lower than 18 others.

Similar to this year’s CAASPP scores, it is clear that racial achievement gaps in California persist and that historically disadvantaged students are not being adequately served by the state. For instance, in math, there was a 33 percent gap between African American and white students who scored at or above Basic, the lowest achievement category, in fourth-grade mathematics and a 7-point gap in eighth grade. Only 1 percent of Black students reached the Advanced designation in fourth-grade math and 2 percent in eighth grade. Comparatively, 24 percent of Asian students were designated as Advanced in fourth-grade math and 32 percent in eighth grade. These gaps also exist in reading.

There are also stark disparities between students who are economically disadvantaged and those who are not. In fourth-grade math, there is a 30-point average score disparity between these student groups (222 versus 252). In eighth-grade math, the two groups have a 39-point average score disparity (254 versus 293). These results are similar in reading. In fourth-grade reading, there is a 31-point average score difference (231 versus 200); in eighth-grade reading, there is a 28-point average score difference.

In addition to racial and economic achievement gaps, national averages mask disparities between high- and low-performing students, which are widening. As EdSource reports, for example, in fourth-grade reading, scores in the 90th achievement percentile (students in the highest performing group) fell by 1 point between 2019 and 2024, and scores in the 75th percentile fell by 3 points. However, scores for students in the 10th percentile (the lowest-performing student group) fell by 10 points. Students in the 25th percentile fell 8 points.

The NAEP contains a survey for students to assess their access to educational opportunities. This survey data is self-reported. However, there were striking similarities when comparing statistically significant differences between students performing below the 25th percentile and those performing at or above the 75th percentile (differences between the educational opportunities of the highest- and lowest-performing students).

Students who performed below the 25th percentile were more likely to miss more school days, have less access to tutoring in reading or math, and have less confidence that their teachers believe in their abilities to succeed than students who performed at or about the 75th percentile. Students who performed below the 25th percentile also were much less likely to express confidence in their reading or math skills. For example, in eighth-grade math, when asked to grade their confidence on a scale of low, moderate or high, 88 percent of students who scored below the 25th percentile expressed low or moderate confidence. Seventy-four percent of students at or above the 75th percentile expressed high confidence. These survey results may provide insight into the significant disparities among student groups.