NOTE: In 2018, the digitally based NAEP geography assessment was administered for the first time. The 2018 geography report includes results from students who took the digitally based assessment (DBA) and students who took the paper-based assessment (PBA). For more information, see
the About page. The NAEP geography scale ranges from 0 to 500. Accommodations were not permitted in the NAEP geography assessment prior to 2001 at grade 8. Results are not shown for data points where the sample sizes are insufficient to permit a reliable estimate or where data are not available. Black includes African American, and Hispanic includes Latino. Race categories exclude Hispanic origin. In compliance with new standards from the U.S. Office of Management and Budget for collecting and reporting data on race/ethnicity, additional information was collected beginning in 2011 so that results could be reported separately for Asian students and Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander students. Students who identified with two or more of the racial/ethnic groups (e.g., White and Black) would have been classified as "other" and reported as part of the "unclassified" category prior to 2011, and classified as "Two or More Races" in 2011 and later assessment years. Results for these students are presented under the "Two or More Races" category in the graphics and tables in the report. Trend results for "White," "Black," "Hispanic," "Asian/Pacific Islander," and "Two or More Races" presented in this report are based on the 6-category race/ethnicity variable with data available starting in 1990s. For the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) eligibility category, results have been reported since 2010 when the quality of the data on students' eligibility for the program improved. Beginning in the 2014-15 school year, states could additionally categorize students as eligible for NSLP by including them in their Community Eligibility Provision; therefore, the percentage of students categorized as eligible may have increased in comparison to 2010 due in part to this provision. Readers should interpret NSLP trend results with caution. The information about "Eligibility for NSLP" variable is based on available school records. If school records were not available, the student was classified as "Information not available." If the school did not participate in the program, all students in that school were classified as "Information not available." The category "students with disabilities" includes students identified as having either an Individualized Education Program or protection under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. The results for students with disabilities and English language learners are based on students who were assessed and cannot be generalized to the total population of such students. See more information about
student group variables. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding or the omission of categories. Although the estimates (e.g., average scores or percentages) are shown as rounded numbers in the charts, the positions of the data points in the graphics are based on the unrounded numbers. Unrounded numbers were used for calculating the differences between the estimates and for the statistical comparison test when the estimates were compared to each other. Not all apparent differences between estimates are statistically significant.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), various years, 1994–2018 Geography Assessments.
NAEP reports on the following student groups: race/ethnicity, gender, eligibility for the National School Lunch Program, parental educational level, type of school, charter school, school location, region of the country, status as students with disabilities, and status as English language learners.
In comparison to 2014, the previous assessment year, average scores at grade 8 in geography were lower in 2018 for
In comparison to 1994, however, average eighth-grade geography scores were higher for some student groups. For example, Black and Hispanic students, and students whose parents did not graduate from high school scored higher in 2018 than in 1994.
See trends in average scores for selected student groups by clicking on the thumbnails below. Scroll down the page to find out how score differences between student groups and percentages of student groups have changed over time and to explore how a student group performs in relation to another student group.
The Type of School dropdown below presents the results for Catholic schools (a subcategory of private schools) and public schools. In 2018, results for private schools overall did not meet the minimum participation rate guideline for reporting, and therefore are not included here. See more information about years with available data by type of school and other student demographic groups.
The detailed charts below for each student group show the trend in average geography scores beginning in 1994 and the cut scores indicating the lower end of the score range for each NAEP achievement level: NAEP Basic, NAEP Proficient, and NAEP Advanced. Read more about NAEP achievement levels and how they are set.