MONTGOMERY – Alabama’s fourth-grade students are leading the charge nationally in improving scores during the post-COVID academic recovery, according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, commonly known as America’s Report Card.
In fourth-grade math, Alabama climbed to 32nd in 2024, from a low point of 52nd in 2019, the last NAEP administered pre-COVID. Alabama’s six-point scale score increase was the largest increase in the nation when it comes to fourth-grade math.
Notably, Alabama’s gains in COVID recovery comparisons surpass those of every other state. This places Alabama among a small group of five states to show recovery to pre-covid levels in fourth-grade math.
“Today we celebrate students, teachers and parents, because we are making significant progress in education in our state,” said Gov. Kay Ivey, a former educator. “Alabama is an education state. Our students’ education is everything, and clearly, it was one of our state’s most pressing areas to address when I took office. Strong students will lead to a strong Alabama.
“And while there is more work ahead, I am confident our forward momentum will continue.”
State Superintendent Dr. Eric Mackey said he was pleased with elementary math progress in the state and looks forward to pushing forward with even more reforms and improvements in upcoming years.
“From day one — actually, when I interviewed for this position — I have said that math improvement has to become a priority for our state,” he said. “With the backing of our State School Board and Governor Kay Ivey to initiate new, higher academic standards and a more rigorous state test to go along with those standards, we set in motion the foundation for growth.
“But it is our teachers who make — and have made the difference. They have gone above and beyond to get us to the next level, even amid the unprecedented challenges presented by the pandemic. Our teachers and school leaders deserve all the praise for a job well done.”
Alabama’s place in fourth-grade reading has moved dramatically over the past five years, moving up to 34th in 2024. This comes after ranking 49th in 2019. Alabama is one of only two states (along with Louisiana) to exceed pre-COVID levels in fourth-grade reading.
While the fourth-graders’ performance soared, the state’s ranking of eighth-graders showed slight improvement. Reading rose from 49th in 2019 to 47th in 2024 and eighth-grade math improved from 52nd in 2019 to 49th in 2024.
“Absolutely, there is still a lot of work to do. Focusing on middle school progress is a major concern,” Mackey said. “Just this year, the Legislature responded to our request to fund a new middle grades initiative focused on our struggling readers. We have asked for increased funding to expand that effort in 2025-2026, and we will also be reviewing middle-level math to see what we need to adjust.
“However, we are incrementally heading in the right direction in many areas.”
Alabama students with special needs saw substantial growth in fourth-grade math and reading. These students have seen consistent growth in math since 2019, with scale scores increasing from 196 in 2019, to 212 in 2024 (exceeding the national average). In reading, students with disabilities moved up 12 points on their scale score, from 164 in 2019 to 176 in 2024.
“Our State School Board has set new, higher expectations for everyone from kindergarten through graduate education,” Mackey said. “Our Legislature has invested more in education than ever before; and Governor Ivey, a former educator herself, values the importance of strong state leadership and effective instructional programs. With that kind of support and the outstanding efforts made by our teachers and school leaders, we expect to see continued progress.”
Nationally, students continue to struggle to get back to pre-COVID levels on scale scores in fourth- and eighth-grade reading, and fourth- and eighth-grade math. In fourth-grade reading, the nation is down five points from 219 in 2019 to 214 in 2024. In eighth-grade reading, the nation is down from 262 in 2019 to 257 in 2024.
Nationally eighth-grade math is down from 281 in 2019 to 272 in 2024. Nationally, fourth-grade math went from 240 in 2019 to 237 in 2024.
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