Pandemic Learning Loss: Six Years On, Only 1 in 10 Students Is in a Recovered District
Six years after pandemic school closures, only 1 in 10 U.S. students attends a district where math and reading have recovered. A new report reveals widening gaps between states and what parents need to know about their child’s progress.
Six years after the pandemic closed schools, only about 1 in 10 US students attends a school district that is back to pre-pandemic levels in both math and reading. That's the headline from CRPE's State of the American Student 2026 report, released in October 2026.
If your child was in school in 2020–22, a gap from those years may still be there, even if report cards look fine. Here's what the report found and how to check your child's real level.
What Did the State of the American Student 2026 Report Find?
The report found that learning loss recovery has stalled for most US students. CRPE (the Center on Reinventing Public Education at Arizona State University) publishes the report every year. 2026 is its fifth edition, and this year it looked at what all 50 states are doing.
| What the report measured | What it found |
|---|---|
| Students in districts back to pre-pandemic levels in math and reading | 10.5% (about 1 in 10) |
| States above 2019 levels in both math and reading | 1 (Louisiana) |
| States back to pre-pandemic attendance | 0 |
| Students chronically absent | 15% before the pandemic, 23% in 2024–25 |
| Change in 8th grade math since 2022 | Top 10% of students: +3 points. Bottom 10%: −5 points |
The report also says the drop started before COVID. National scores began falling in 2013, and pre-pandemic trends alone would have predicted 47% of the post-pandemic drop in 8th grade math. The 8th grade numbers come from NAEP, the national test. Here's when the next NAEP results come out.
Are Some States Recovering From Learning Loss Faster Than Others?
Yes, and the gap between states is growing. For almost two decades, the difference between higher- and lower-performing states got smaller. Since 2019, it has grown again, most clearly in 8th grade math and reading.
| State | What the report found |
|---|---|
| Louisiana | The only state above 2019 levels in both math and reading |
| Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama | Posting real gains |
| Florida | Similar reading reforms, but ranks last among states in reading recovery |
| All 50 states and DC | The gap between the highest- and lowest-scoring 8th graders in math grew from 2013 to 2024 |
What Are States Doing About Math?
Most states have passed new laws, but few are fully carrying them out.
- 18 states and DC have passed math reform laws since 2022.
- 37 states aren't fully carrying out any of the 11 math policies that ExcelinEd, an education policy group, recommends.
- Only 2 of 50 states have “strong” policies for preparing math teachers, according to the National Council on Teacher Quality.
- 36 states have guidance on AI in schools, but most of it is advice, not rules. Only Maryland requires AI tools to be checked for learning results.
For parents, this means a new state law won't reach your child's classroom right away.
What Does Pandemic Learning Loss Mean for Your Child?
It means you can't assume school has caught your child up. If only 1 in 10 students is in a recovered district, most children are in schools that are still behind where they were in 2019.
A gap from 2020–22 doesn't always show on a report card. It shows up later, when a new topic depends on an old one:
- Grades 1–3 in 2020–22 (Grades 5–9 now): place value, addition with regrouping and times tables. These hold up long division, fractions, and decimals.
- Grades 4–6 in 2020–22 (Grades 8–12 now): fractions, ratios, and negative numbers. These hold up algebra.
The 8th grade math data shows the risk. Since 2022, the strongest students gained, and the weakest lost more ground. A small gap now can grow each year.
How to Check Your Child's Real Math Level
Check your child's real level instead of guessing from grades. Here are four simple ways:
- Read the state test score report. Look at the level (for example, “Below Standard” or “Approaching”), not just the number. Cuemath's state test prep pages explain each test.
- Ask your child to explain one problem out loud. Pick a problem from last year's math. If they get the answer but can't say why it works, the idea isn't solid yet.
- Ask the teacher one question: “Which grade-level skills is my child still missing?” Ask for the skill, not the grade.
- Book a free evaluation. A Cuemath tutor checks your child one-on-one and shows you the exact skills to work on.
Check Your Child's Real Math Level
In a free 1:1 evaluation, a Cuemath tutor finds the exact math skills your child is missing from earlier grades, so you know what to practice first.
Book a Free Evaluation100% free · No credit card · About 30 minutes
Already getting help? Here's how to tell if math tutoring is working.
Between lessons, your child can practice math facts for a few minutes a day in the free Cuemath App.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is pandemic learning loss?
Pandemic learning loss is the drop in student achievement after COVID-19 closed schools in 2020. US students fell behind in math and reading, and CRPE's 2026 report shows most still haven't caught up.
Have students recovered from pandemic learning loss?
Most haven't. Only 10.5% of US students attend a district that is back to pre-pandemic achievement in both math and reading, according to CRPE's State of the American Student 2026 report.
What is the State of the American Student report?
The State of the American Student is a yearly report from CRPE at Arizona State University. The 2026 edition, its fifth, looks at how all 50 states are handling learning loss, attendance, math, reading, and AI.
Which state has recovered the most from learning loss?
Louisiana has recovered the most. It's the only state scoring above its 2019 levels in both math and reading, according to the Education Scorecard data CRPE cites.
What is the Education Recovery Scorecard?
The Education Recovery Scorecard, now called the Education Scorecard, tracks how US school districts are recovering from pandemic learning loss. Researchers at Harvard, Stanford, and Dartmouth run it, and CRPE used its 2025 data for the 10.5% figure.
Is my child behind in math because of the pandemic?
Your child may be, even with good grades. A gap from 2020 to 2022 often shows up later, when new topics build on old ones. A short skills check, like a free Cuemath evaluation, shows exactly what's missing.
Is chronic absenteeism still a problem?
Yes. 23% of US students were chronically absent in 2024–25, up from 15% before the pandemic, and no state has returned to its pre-pandemic attendance levels.
How can I help my child catch up in math?
Find the exact skills your child is missing first, then practice those. Cuemath tutors start with a free evaluation that finds the gaps, then teach one-on-one from that point. See Cuemath's online math tutors.
Sources
- CRPE: State of the American Student 2026: recovery, attendance, state gaps, math laws, AI guidance, Florida and Mississippi/Louisiana/Alabama
- CRPE: State of the Student 2026 Fast Facts (PDF): 10.5% recovered-district share, chronic absence 15% to 23%, 8th grade top/bottom 10%, 47% and 2013, earnings 2%/9%, Louisiana, 2/50 teacher-prep states
- CRPE: State of the American Student project page: background on the report series
- The 74: Only 1 in 10 students attends a district that has bounced back from the pandemic (October 21, 2026): news coverage and the “1 in 10” figure
- Education Scorecard (Harvard, Stanford, Dartmouth): who runs the Education Scorecard
I was never the kid who loved math. I was much more interested in books, stories, and writing, and, somewhere along the way, I became even more curious about people. Why do we learn differently? Why does something make sense to one child but not another? And what makes a student feel confident enough to keep trying?
That curiosity led me to study Applied Psychology, where I learned more about how children think, learn, and make sense of the world around them.
My love for writing did the rest. What started as something I simply enjoyed became a career. Over the past five years, I've worked as a freelance writer across edtech, SaaS, B2B, travel, lifestyle, and healthcare, learning how to write for very different audiences without losing the human side of the story.
Today, I'm an SEO Content Writer & Editor at Cuemath, where I get to bring many of these interests together. Working in education, and especially around math, has made me even more curious about what happens behind the screen or textbook: what parents worry about, what students struggle with, and what actually helps them learn.
That's also how I like to research. I don't just look at search results and call it a day. I go where parents and students actually talk: forums, reviews, communities, and conversations with real families. Because sometimes the most useful insight isn't hiding in a keyword; it's in a parent's question, a student's frustration, or a small detail someone shares about their learning experience.
I write because I'm curious. I research because I want to understand. And I love turning what I learn into content that feels genuinely useful to the people reading it.
