Summary of Major Findings

Results of the 2012 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) long-term trend assessments in reading and mathematics are based on the performance of nationally representative samples of 9-, 13-, and 17-year-olds attending public and private schools. Over 17,000 students at each age were assessed in either reading or mathematics during the 2011-2012 school year. 

Results from the long-term trend assessments cannot be directly compared to those from the NAEP main assessments because the long-term trend assessments use different questions and because students are sampled by age rather than by grade. Learn more about differences between the two NAEP assessments.

The assessments provide a unique opportunity to look back on student performance across more than four decades. Results are available for 12 previous reading assessments dating back to 1971, and for 11 previous mathematics assessments dating back to 1973.

Changes in the Student Population

Changes in student demographics provide context for interpreting changes in performance. A notable change in the racial/ethnic makeup of the student population over the past four decades is the increased percentage of Hispanic students. For example, the percentage of 13-year-old Hispanic students has more than tripled from 1978 to 2012. Use the tabs below to explore the changes in demographics by racial/ethnic groups, the highest level of parental education, and grade level of students.

• Race/ethnicity 
• Parental Education 
• Grade Attended 

Percentage distribution of 13-year-old students assessed in NAEP mathematics, by race/ethnicity: 1978 and 2012

See complete data for age 9, age 13, and age 17.

 

Percentage distribution of 13-year-old students assessed in NAEP mathematics, by highest level of parental education: 1978
and 2012

See complete data for  age 13, and age 17.

 

Percentage distribution of 13-year-old students assessed in NAEP mathematics, by grade attended: 1978 and 2012

See complete data for age 9, age 13, and age 17.

# Rounds to zero.
Note: Percentages of students are based on information collected as part of the long-term trend mathematics assessment at age 13. Detail may not sum to totals because results are not shown for students whose race/ethnicity was categorized as “other.”

Results at a Glance

Explore the charts below to see how students have performed in reading and mathematics compared to the first assessment years and to the latest assessment in 2008. For example, 9-year-old Black students made a 36-point gain in their reading score compared to 1971.

Changes in NAEP reading average scores and score gaps for 9-, 13-, and 17-year-old students, by selected characteristics: various years

Characteristics	Subgroups	Score changes from 1973			Score changes from 2008
		Age 9	Age 13	Age 17	Age 9	Age 13	Age 17
All students	All students	13	8			3
Race/ethnicity	White	15	9	4
	Black	36	24	30
	Hispanic	25	17	21		7
Gender	Male	17	9	4
	Female	10	6			3
Score gaps	White – Black	Narrowed	Narrowed	Narrowed
	White – Hispanic	Narrowed	Narrowed	Narrowed		Narrowed
	Male – Female	Narrowed
Indicates score was higher in 2012 Indicates no significant change in 2012.

Changes in NAEP mathematics average scores and score gaps for 9-, 13-, and 17-year-old students, by selected characteristics: various years

Characteristics	Subgroups	Score changes from 1973			Score changes from 2008
		Age 9	Age 13	Age 17	Age 9	Age 13	Age 17
All students	All students	25	19			4
Race/ethnicity	White	27	19	4
	Black	36	36	18
	Hispanic	32	32	17
Gender	Male	26	21
	Female	24	17	3		5
Score gaps	White – Black	Narrowed	Narrowed	Narrowed
	White – Hispanic		Narrowed	Narrowed
	Male – Female			Narrowed
Indicates score was higher in 2012 Indicates no significant change in 2012.

¹ Reading results for Hispanic students were first available in 1975. Therefore, the results shown in the 1971 section for Hispanic students are from the 1975 assessment.
² Score differences between male and female students in mathematics were not found to be statistically significant (p < .05) at age 9 in 1973, 2008, or 2012, and at age 13 in 1973 and 2012.
NOTE: Black includes African American, and Hispanic includes Latino. Race categories exclude Hispanic origin.

Complete Trend Lines

Both 9- and 13-year-olds scored higher in reading and mathematics in 2012 than students their age in the early 1970s. Average reading and mathematics scores in 2012 for 17-year-olds were not significantly different from scores in the first assessment year. 

• See more long-term trend assessment results in reading and mathematics.

• Trends in reading 
• Trends in mathematics 

 

Trend in NAEP reading average scores for 9-, 13-, and 17-year-old students

 

See complete data for age 9, age 13, and age 17.

Trend in NAEP mathematics average scores for 9-, 13-, and 17-year-old students

 

 

See complete data for age 9, age 13, and age 17.