Math performance has slightly rebounded since the COVID-19 virus closed schools but reading performance hasn't, according to new National Assessment of Educational Progress data released Wednesday.

Despite some improvements — notably in fourth-grade math — the national results were pockmarked by widening gaps in student performance and declines in reading scores, including the largest share of eighth graders who did not meet basic reading proficiency in the assessment’s history.

Given every two years to a sample of America’s children, the National Assessment of Educational Progress is considered one of the best gauges of the academic progress of the U.S. school system. The most recent exam was administered in early 2024 in every state, testing fourth- and eighth-grade students on math and reading.

Baltimore City students are performing below average in math and reading compared to other students in large cities, according to the latest national test results.