NAEP Mathematics Grade 12 : National Trends and Student Skills

National Trends and Student Skills

National Score Trends

Average mathematics score decreases for twelfth-graders compared to 2019; scores decrease for lower-performing students

Average scores are reported on the NAEP mathematics scale at grade 12 that ranges from 0 to 300. NAEP results are also reported at five selected percentiles to show score trends for lower- (10th and 25th percentiles), middle- (50th percentile), and higher- (75th and 90th percentiles) performing students. The percentile is defined by the percentage of students scoring lower than a particular scale score. For example, if the 25th percentile score is 120, it means that 25 percent of the students scored below 120.

The average mathematics score for twelfth-graders in 2024 was 3 points lower than in 2019, and was also 3 points lower compared to 2005, the start of a new trendline marking the first administration of the assessment based on a new mathematics framework.
Compared to 2019, the 2024 mathematics score was not significantly different for higher-performing students at the 90th percentile and decreased by 3 points for students at the 75th percentile. The score decreased for middle-performing students at the 50th percentile by 4 points. Scores decreased for lower-performing students at both the 10th and 25th percentiles by 5 points.
Mathematics scores compared to 2005 were lower for lower-performing students at the 10th and 25th percentiles and middle-performing students at the 50th percentile. Scores in 2024 compared to 2005 were not significantly different for higher-performing students at the 75th and 90th percentiles.

The chart below shows the trends in average mathematics scores and scores for lower- (10th and 25th percentiles) and higher- (75th and 90th percentiles) performing students beginning in 2005 along with the cut score indicating the lower end of the score range for each NAEP achievement level: NAEP Basic, NAEP Proficient, and NAEP Advanced. Read a description of each NAEP achievement level by clicking the question mark icons.

Please note, the authorizing legislation for the NAEP requires that the NAEP achievement levels be used on a trial basis until the NCES Commissioner determines that the achievement levels are reasonable, valid, and informative to the public. Therefore, achievement levels should be interpreted and used with caution.

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Figure Average and selected percentile scores in NAEP mathematics for twelfth-grade students: Various years, 2005‒2024

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Click on a data point or key for more details. Click again to return to the overview for all categories.

National Achievement-level Trends

Lower percentage of twelfth-graders at or above NAEP Proficient compared to 2019

In 2024, twenty-two percent of twelfth-grade students performed at or above the NAEP Proficient level in mathematics, which was 2 percentage points lower compared to 2019 and not significantly different from the percentage in 2005.
Fifty-five percent of twelfth-grade students performed at or above NAEP Basic in 2024, which was 5 percentage points lower than in 2019 and 5 percentage points lower compared to 2005.
Three percent of twelfth-grade students performed at the NAEP Advanced level in mathematics in 2024, which was not significantly different from the percentage in 2019 and 1 percentage point higher than in 2005.
Forty-five percent of twelfth-grade students performed in the range of the scale below the NAEP Basic level in 2024, which is five percentage points higher compared to both 2019 and 2005.

NAEP achievement levels are performance standards that represent what students should know and be able to do. Results are reported as percentages of students performing at or above three achievement levels (NAEP Basic, NAEP Proficient, and NAEP Advanced). Students performing at or above the NAEP Proficient level on NAEP assessments demonstrate solid academic performance and competency over challenging subject matter. It should be noted that the NAEP Proficient achievement level does not represent grade-level proficiency as determined by other assessment standards (e.g., state or district assessments). NAEP achievement levels are to be used on a trial basis and should be interpreted and used with caution. Find out more about the NAEP mathematics achievement levels.

NAEP achievement-level setting is based on the judgments of a broadly representative panel of teachers, education specialists, and members of the general public. The authorizing legislation for NAEP requires that the achievement levels be used on a trial basis until the Commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) determines that the achievement levels are reasonable, valid, and informative to the public (20 USC § 9622[e][2][C]). The NCES Commissioner's determination is to be based on a congressionally mandated, rigorous, and independent evaluation. The latest evaluation of the achievement levels was conducted by a committee convened by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in 2016. The evaluation concluded that further evidence should be gathered to determine whether the achievement levels are reasonable, valid, and informative. Accordingly, the NCES Commissioner determined that the trial status of the achievement levels should be maintained at this time. Read more about how NAEP achievement levels are set. In 2018, the National Assessment Governing Board issued a revised Policy Statement clarifying that the NAEP Proficient level is not intended to reflect grade-level performance expectations but is specific to performance on NAEP assessments. Read the Governing Board Policy Statement.

The chart below lists the percentages of twelfth-grade students performing at each of the NAEP mathematics achievement levels in 2024 and previous assessment years. Set the baseline at either NAEP Basic or NAEP Proficient to see the percentages of students performing at or above that NAEP achievement level. Click "Show all achievement levels" to see the percentages of twelfth-grade students at each of the NAEP achievement levels. Click "Hide all achievement levels" to see the percentages of students at or above the selected baseline NAEP achievement level. Use the slider to change focal years.

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Baseline

Figure Achievement-level results in NAEP mathematics for twelfth-grade students: Various years, 2005‒2024

NOTE: NAEP achievement levels are to be used on a trial basis and should be interpreted and used with caution. It should be noted that the NAEP Proficient achievement level does not represent grade level proficiency as determined by other assessment standards (e.g., state or district assessments).

National Student Skills

Student performance and skills on mathematics assessment questions

The NAEP mathematics assessment measures students' knowledge and skills in five broad content areas of mathematics (number properties and operations; measurement; geometry; data analysis, statistics, and probability; and algebra) and their ability to apply their content area knowledge to problem-solving situations. Because most measurement topics suitable for twelfth-grade students are geometric in nature, geometry and measurement are combined into one for reporting. The NAEP mathematics framework guides the content and development of the mathematics assessment. As specified in the framework, questions are classified by mathematical subtopic which is used to determine the key concept or skill that should be measured within each content area. Read more about the NAEP mathematics assessment.

To better understand twelfth-graders’ mathematics knowledge and skills across the content areas, student performance on samples of publicly released questions from the 2024 mathematics assessment at grade 12 are presented below. Click on "show details" for each question to see the mathematics content area, subtopic, question type, and description of the mathematics skills assessed.

Student performance below is expressed using two different metrics as follows:

As the skills demonstrated by students performing at different points on the NAEP mathematics scale and within the score range for each NAEP achievement level. The descriptions below indicate what students at the designated score point were likely able to do when successfully answering the question as part of the 2024 grade 12 mathematics assessment. For example, twelfth-grade students with a score of 207 (NAEP Proficient) were likely to correctly answer a measurement and geometry question that required them to “Solve a geometric problem in 2 dimensions.”
As the percentage of all students who received full credit for each question in 2024 compared to performance on the same set of questions that were administered as part of the 2019 assessment.

Please note, while there is no direct relationship between the position of a question on the scale and the percentage of students receiving full credit at the associated level in any given assessment year, both metrics are provided as different perspectives on student performance.

Figure National grade 12 NAEP mathematics item map and percentage of twelfth-grade students who received full credit for the listed sample questions in 2024 and 2019

NOTE: The position of a question on the scale represents the scale score attained by students who had a 65 percent probability of obtaining credit at a specific level of constructed-response questions or polytomously scored selected-response questions, a 74 percent probability of correctly answering a four-option single-selection multiple-choice type of selected-response question, or a 72 percent probability of correctly answering a five-option single-selection multiple-choice type of selected-response question in certain subjects. For dichotomously scored, non-single-selection multiple-choice type of selected-response questions, the position reflects the scale score for students with a 65 percent probability of obtaining credit, unless evidence indicates a high rate of guessing, in which case the probability is recalculated as for a single-selection multiple-choice question. Selected-response question includes question types such as single-selection multiple-choice, matching, grid, zone, and in-line choice. There is no direct relationship between the position of a question on the scale and the percentage of students attaining credit at the associated level in any given assessment year. The percentage differences between the assessment years are based on unrounded numbers as opposed to the rounded numbers shown in the report.

Additional NAEP Sample Question Resources

NAEP Questions Tool

Learn more about released mathematics questions, including examples of students’ answers, scorer comments, and the percentage of students answering questions correctly.

Detailsfor NAEP Questions Tool

Experience NAEP Assessment Questions

You can try test questions that were administered to students as part of the 2024 mathematics grade 12 assessment. After completing the questions, you can see the correct answers, scoring rubrics, and student performance results.

Detailsfor Experience NAEP Assessment Questions

NAEP Item Maps

One way to understand the NAEP mathematics scale is by seeing the types of questions that students performing at different points on the scale are likely to answer correctly. See the 2024 item map with a range of skills demonstrated on the mathematics scale and within the score range for each NAEP achievement level.

Detailsfor NAEP Item Maps

NOTE: The NAEP mathematics scale ranges from 0 to 300 at grade 12. In 2019, the digitally based NAEP mathematics assessment at grade 12 was administered for the first time. The 2019 grade 12 mathematics results shown in this report are from students who took the digitally based assessment and students who took the paper-based assessment. For more information, see the About page. Although the estimates (e.g., average scores or percentages) are shown as rounded numbers, 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. Comparison results are based on a statistical significance level set at .05, with appropriate adjustments for multiple comparisons. 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, 2005–2024 Mathematics Assessments.

NAEP Report Card: Grade 12 Mathematics