Opportunities in Education
When twelfth-graders took the reading assessment (in January–March of a given assessment year), they were asked to indicate the number of days they had been absent from school in the previous month. The five response options were none, 1 or 2 days, 3 or 4 days, 5 to 10 days, and more than 10 days.
A larger percentage of twelfth-graders reported missing 3 or more days of school in the previous month in 2024 (31 percent) compared to 2019 (25 percent). The percentage of students who reported missing no days in the previous month in 2024 (28 percent) was smaller compared to 2019 (34 percent).
Figure Percentage of twelfth-grade students in NAEP reading by the reported number of days they were absent from school in the previous month: 2019 and 2024
Larger percentage of lower-performing students reported being absent from school for 3 or more days in the previous month
In 2024, the percentage of lower-performing twelfth-grade students (those scoring below the 25th percentile) who reported missing 3 or more days of school in the past month (37 percent) was larger than the percentage of higher-performing students (those scoring at or above the 75th percentile) who reported missing 3 or more days (25 percent).
Compared to their lower-performing peers, larger percentages of higher-performing students reported missing no days (31 percent) or one or two days (44 percent) of school in the past month.
Figure Percentage of twelfth-grade students in NAEP reading by performance level and by the reported number of days they were absent from school in the previous month: 2024
Students were asked how often in their English Language Arts class they had been asked to evaluate the main evidence in a persuasive/argument passage. The five response options were never or hardly ever, once in a while, sometimes, often, and always or almost always.
The percentage of twelfth-graders who were never asked or asked once in a while to evaluate the main evidence in a persuasive/argument passage decreased in 2024 (14 percent) in comparison to 2019 (18 percent) while the percentage of twelfth-graders who were asked to evaluate the main evidence in a persuasive/argument passage often increased in 2024 (35 percent) compared to 2019 (33 percent). In 2024, students who were asked to evaluate the main evidence often (289) or always/almost always (294) scored higher than their twelfth-grade peers who were asked to do so less frequently or never.
Figure Percentage of twelfth-grade students in NAEP reading by the frequency with which their teachers asked them to evaluate the main evidence in a persuasive/argument passage: 2019 and 2024
Smaller percentage of lower-performing students asked to evaluate evidence often or always when reading persuasive/argument texts
In 2024, a smaller percentage of lower-performing students, who scored below the 25th percentile, were asked to evaluate the main evidence in a persuasive/argument passage often or always (45 percent) compared to their higher-performing peers (70 percent) who scored at or above the 75th percentile.
Figure Percentage of twelfth-grade students in NAEP reading by performance level and by the frequency with which their teachers asked them to evaluate the main evidence in a persuasive/argument passage: 2024
Twelfth-grade students in 2019 and 2024 were asked about their level of confidence in performing five reading-related tasks, such as explaining the meaning of something they have read or finding text in a reading passage to help answer a question on a test.
Students’ responses about their confidence in doing the five reading-related tasks were combined to create a confidence in reading knowledge and skills index. The index scale was divided into low, moderate, and high categories. The percentage of twelfth-graders who reported having high levels of confidence in their reading knowledge and skills in 2024 (71 percent) was smaller than in 2019 (73 percent). Students who reported a high level of confidence in their reading knowledge and skills in 2024 scored higher (296) than students who reported moderate (261) or low (226) levels.
Figure Percentage of twelfth-grade students in NAEP reading by students' confidence in reading knowledge and skills index score category: 2019 and 2024
Larger percentage of higher-performing students reported high levels of confidence in doing reading-related tasks compared to lower performers
In 2024, a larger percentage of higher-performing twelfth-graders, who scored at or above the 75th percentile, reported having high levels of reading confidence (91 percent) compared to lower-performing students (43 percent) who scored below the 25th percentile.
Figure Percentage of twelfth-grade students in NAEP reading by performance level and by students’ confidence in reading knowledge and skills index score category: 2024
As part of the NAEP reading assessment, twelfth-graders responded to four statements in the survey questionnaire about their interest or enjoyment of reading. Students were asked to indicate the extent to which each of the statements described them. The five response options were not at all like me, a little bit like me, somewhat like me, quite a bit like me, and exactly like me.
Students’ responses to the four statements were combined to create an index of student interest in and enjoyment of reading. The index scale was divided into low, moderate, and high categories. In 2024, twenty-six percent of twelfth-graders reported having a high level of interest and enjoyment in reading, which was 1 percentage point higher than in 2019 (25 percent). Compared to 2019, a higher percentage of students (28 percent) reported a moderate level of interest/enjoyment and a lower percentage of students (45 percent) reported a low level of interest/enjoyment in 2024. Students who reported a high level of interest and enjoyment in reading in 2024 scored higher (297) than students who reported moderate (285) or low (276) levels.
Figure Percentage of twelfth-grade students in NAEP reading by students' interest/enjoyment in reading index score category: 2019 and 2024
Larger percentage of higher-performing students reported having a high level of interest/enjoyment in reading
In 2024, a larger percentage of higher-performing twelfth-graders (those who scored at or above the 75th percentile) reported having a high level of interest and enjoyment in reading (39 percent) compared to lower-performing students (17 percent), who scored below the 25th percentile.
Figure Percentage of twelfth-grade students in NAEP reading by performance level and by students' interest/enjoyment in reading index score category: 2024
As part of the 2024 NAEP reading assessment, twelfth-grade students were asked about their postsecondary planning. For example, students reported whether they had been accepted to a four-year college, a two-year college, and/or a technical training program. The figures display results from students who indicated “Yes” to one, two, or all three of the questions about their postsecondary academic plans. Note that students' self-reported acceptance data were collected from January to March of 2024. Student-reported acceptance results may have changed if the data had been collected later in the year.
In 2024, fifty-three percent of twelfth-grade students reported that they had been accepted to a four-year college. This percentage was higher than the 51 percent in 2019. Twenty-two percent of twelfth-grade students reported that they had been accepted to a two-year college, which was lower than the 24 percent in 2019. Seven percent of twelfth-graders reported that they had been accepted into a technical training program, which was higher than the 6 percent who reported acceptance in 2019. Within all three postsecondary education categories (i.e., four-year college; two-year college; and technical training program), average NAEP reading scores were lower in 2024 than in 2019.
Figure Percentage of twelfth-grade students in NAEP reading by students' postsecondary plans: 2019 and 2024
| Students' postsecondary plan | 2024 | 2019 | Difference between 2024 and 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accepted to a four-year college | |||
| Accepted to a two-year college | |||
| Accepted to a technical training program |
Larger percentage of higher-performing students reported being accepted to a four-year college
In 2024, a larger percentage of higher-performing twelfth-graders (those who scored at or above the 75th percentile) reported having been accepted to a four-year college. Larger percentages of lower- performing twelfth-grade students (those who scored at the 25th percentile) reported having been accepted to a two-year college or a technical training program.
Figure Percentage of twelfth-grade students in NAEP reading by performance level and by students' postsecondary plans: 2024
NAEP as an indicator of academic preparedness
An estimated 35 percent of twelfth-grade students academically prepared for college in 2024 compared to 37 percent in 2019
In 2024, an estimated 35 percent of twelfth-grade students were academically prepared in reading for college, according to tabulations based on research funded by the National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB). This was lower than the 37 percent in 2019.
In 2008, NAGB began a research program on the potential of NAEP at grade 12 to serve as an indicator of academic preparedness for college. Students who are considered ready for college are expected to be academically prepared for entry-level college coursework, without the need for remedial courses. The research results to date support inferences about NAEP performance and academic preparedness for college at the national level. Based on this research, a provisional estimate of 35 percent of twelfth-grade students scoring at or above 302 on the NAEP reading assessment possess the reading knowledge and skills that would make them academically prepared for college. Read more about the Governing Board's preparedness research.
Figure Provisional estimate of the percentage of students academically prepared for college: 2019 and 2024
NOTE: 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. 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), 2019 and 2024 Reading Assessments.
Below are selected results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) survey questionnaires administered as part of the 2019 and 2024 reading assessments. The selected results provide trends in student absenteeism, students' reading activities in school, students’ confidence in reading, students’ interest and enjoyment of reading, and students' postsecondary plans. Related to the postsecondary results, the trend in the percentage of students considered academically prepared for college is also reported. Read more about NAEP survey questionnaires.
NAEP survey questionnaire responses provide additional information for understanding NAEP performance results. Although comparisons in students’ performance are made based on student, teacher, and school characteristics and educational experiences, these results cannot be used to establish a cause-and-effect relationship between the characteristics or experiences and student achievement. NAEP is not designed to identify the causes of performance differences. Student achievement may be influenced by many factors, which may change over time and vary among student groups; therefore, results must be interpreted with caution.
NAEP reports results using widely accepted statistical standards; findings are reported based on a statistical significance level set at .05, with appropriate adjustments for multiple comparisons. Students are always the unit of analysis when reporting NAEP survey questionnaire responses. The percentages shown are weighted and represent students or students whose teachers or school administrators indicated a specific response on the survey questionnaire. Some student responses are missing as a result of an inability to link students to their teachers’ or school administrators’ responses to the survey questionnaire or as a result of nonresponse from students, teachers, or school administrators. The denominator of the percentages presented excludes all students with missing information in the data for the analysis. The percentage distributions of reported survey response categories could change when students with missing data are included in the denominator. To find missing rates and explore student, teacher, and school questionnaire data further, use the NAEP Data Explorer.