4 Red States Defy National Education Trends, See Higher Math, Reading Scores
18th September 2025
Test scores for America’s grade schools continue to show a dismal decline in basic reading and math skills, but four red states that were once seen as laggards are now bucking the nationwide trend.
According to the 2024 assessment by the National Assessment of Educational Progress, 12th graders tested in reading and math have shown a continuing decline since 1992. This report follows a 2020 study by the Department of Education that found that 54% of U.S. adults—130 million people—read at or below a sixth-grade level.
This year, 19-year-old Aleysha Ortiz sued the Hartford Board of Education, charging that, although she graduated with honors from Hartford Public High School in 2024, she cannot read or write. And Ivy League schools like Harvard, Columbia, and Princeton are reportedly no longer assigning whole books to students because reading an entire book is too difficult.
Going against this grim trend, however, Mississippi, Louisiana, Indiana, and Tennessee have achieved consistent improvement in their kids’ scores. Education experts say much of this is about getting back to basics in how these subjects are taught, while maintaining tough standards for students and teachers.