More than six years after COVID-19 upended America’s classrooms, schools are showing signs of academic recovery. New research finds students are making progress in math and reading, but many still perform below pre-pandemic levels.
Researchers say the damage caused by school shutdowns is beginning to ease, yet the recovery remains uneven—and far from complete.
While researchers continue to analyze the long-term effects of pandemic learning disruptions, students remember what they missed most: time with classmates, sports seasons, school traditions, and milestones like prom.
For some families, however, the pandemic led to unexpected opportunities.
“The Zoom classes just did not work,” said homeschool parent Angie James. “We knew immediately this was not something we were going to stick with… We pulled the girls out, we did our own thing, and we’ve never turned back.”
For the vast majority of students who remained in public schools, however, the effects of remote learning continue to influence academic achievement.
A new Education Recovery Scorecard, produced by researchers from Harvard University, Stanford University, and Dartmouth College, shows academic recovery taking the shape of a “U.”
School districts with the fewest resources have seen some of the strongest gains, largely because they received substantial federal pandemic relief funding. Students in the wealthiest districts are also recovering relatively quickly.
Middle-income school districts, however, are lagging behind.
Researchers say districts where roughly 30 to 70 percent of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch often received less funding than higher-poverty districts while facing greater challenges than wealthier communities.
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Researchers also describe the pandemic as a “mudslide” that followed nearly a decade of “erosion in student achievement.”
Harvard professor Tom Kane argues the decline began well before COVID.
“The ‘learning recession’ started a decade ago, after policymakers switched off the early warning system of test-based accountability and social media took over children’s lives,” he said.
The scorecard shows eighth-grade reading scores have fallen to their lowest levels since 1990, while fourth-grade reading scores have dropped to levels not seen since before 2003.
“There were lots of alarms taking place all across the country saying we may have a problem—we’re seeing gaps widen, we’re seeing students not make the progress we would expect to see,” said Dr. Christina Grant of Harvard University.
Dr. Grant also believes students’ relationship with electronic devices and social media remains one of the biggest long-term challenges.
“I want parents to be saying, ‘What’s the reading list for next year? How much time are we going to the library? What does device time look like when school is out?’ How do we make sure we’re even telling our students, ‘Go outside and play. We don’t want you in front of screens all summer long.'”
There are encouraging signs.
Math scores are rebounding, and states like Mississippi have posted measurable improvements in reading through evidence-based literacy instruction and additional support for teachers.
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But another lingering consequence of the pandemic has little to do with test scores.
Students simply aren’t showing up.
Each year, millions of students miss weeks of school, and experts warn that the longer students remain disconnected from the classroom, the more difficult it becomes to recover academically and socially.
As it turns out, simply showing up is half the battle.
Nearly one in four American students is now considered chronically absent, meaning they miss at least 10 percent of the school year. The consequences can be catastrophic.
“Starting in the early grades, it means you’re less likely to read proficiently by the end of third grade. You’re more likely to fall behind academically in middle school. By the end of high school, you are more likely to drop out,” said Hedy Chang, founder of Attendance Works.
So why, six years after the pandemic began, are so many students missing so much school?
“That’s a great question because in order to solve chronic absence and improve attendance, you have to know why kids are missing in the first place,” said Chang.
She points to a range of factors, including economic barriers, bullying, student disengagement, and a growing misconception among some parents and students that physically attending school is less important.
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Beyond academics, students who stay home also miss critical opportunities for social development and relationship-building.
Chang says stronger partnerships among teachers, parents, and students are key to reversing the trend. “You’ve got to use your data and say, ‘Jennifer is not showing up for school every day. I better do more significant outreach to find out what’s going on and see if I can help her.'”
Even more than six years after the pandemic began, experts say the road to recovery remains long, but they also believe the obstacles facing students can be overcome.
“Across the country, millions of our children are putting on their backpacks every single day, and they are showing up at schools expecting them to serve them well—to teach them reading, writing, and arithmetic, and also help them become the version of person that we would want them to be in our society,” Grant said.
Stanford professor Sean Reardon says the challenge is clear. “It’s time now to make our public schools once again the engine of the American dream.”
