National Trends and Student Skills
National Score Trends
Higher average mathematics score in 2024 reflected in score increases for middle- and higher-performing students
Average scores are reported on the NAEP mathematics scale at grade 4 that ranges from 0 to 500. NAEP also reports scores at five selected percentiles to show the progress made by 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.
- The average mathematics score for fourth-graders in 2024 was 2 points higher than in 2022, the previous assessment year, and 24 points higher compared to the first assessment year in 1990.
- Compared to 2022, the 2024 mathematics score increased by 2 points for middle-performing students at the 50th percentile and by 3 points and 2 points, respectively, for higher-performing students at the 75th and 90th percentiles. Scores for lower-performing students (10th and 25th percentiles) were not significantly different from those in 2022.
- Compared to 1990, mathematics scores for lower- (10th and 25th percentiles), middle- (50th percentile) and higher- (75th and 90th percentiles) performing students were higher in 2024.
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 1990 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. Read more about NAEP achievement levels and how they are set. Please note, NAEP achievement levels are to be used on a trial basis and should be interpreted and used with caution.
Figure Trend in fourth-grade NAEP mathematics average and selected percentile scores
National Achievement-level Trends
Increase in percentages of fourth-graders at or above NAEP Basic, at or above NAEP Proficient, and at NAEP Advanced compared to 2022
- In 2024, thirty-nine percent of fourth-grade students performed at or above the NAEP Proficient
- Seventy-six percent of fourth-graders performed at or above NAEP Basic
- Nine percent of fourth-grade students performed at the NAEP Advanced
NAEP achievement levels are performance standards that describe 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 NAEP mathematics achievement levels.
The chart below lists the percentages of fourth-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 fourth-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.
Figure Trend in fourth-grade NAEP mathematics achievement-level results
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. The NAEP mathematics framework guides the content and development of the mathematics assessment at grades 4 and 8. 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 students’ mathematics knowledge and skills across the content areas, student performance on samples of publicly released questions from the 2024 mathematics assessment at grade 4 are presented below. Student performance is expressed as the percentage of receiving a full credit for each question in 2024 compared to performance on the same set of questions that were administered as part of the 2022 and 2019 assessments. Click on "show details" for each question to see the mathematics content area, subtopic, question type, and description of the mathematics skills assessed.
One way to understand the NAEP mathematics scale is by seeing the skills demonstrated by students performing at different points on the scale and within the score range for each NAEP achievement level. The descriptions below indicate mathematics knowledge and skills demonstrated by fourth-grade students on selected questions administered as part of the 2024 mathematics assessment. For example, fourth-grade students with a score of 262 (NAEP Proficient range) were likely to correctly answer a number properties and operations question that required them to “solve a multi-step story problem”.