Six years after schools closed their doors, pandemic learning loss is still winning. A new national report says only about 1 in 10 American students attends a school district that has climbed back to 2019 levels in both reading and math.
That is not a rounding error. It is a generation of kids who are behind. Yet one state has already dug out, and it did not do it with slogans. So the real question is simple: why are so few states copying what works?
Key Takeaways
- Only 10.5% of U.S. students attend districts that have recovered to pre-pandemic achievement in both math and reading.
- Louisiana is the only state where average scores now beat 2019 levels in both subjects.
- Just 13 states have clear, specific learning goals that parents and teachers can easily find.
- Red states are moving faster on reading and math reform, and the results in Mississippi, Louisiana, and Alabama show it.
- Congress sent nearly $190 billion to schools for recovery. Money helped, but it was not enough on its own.
What the New Report Says About Pandemic Learning Loss
The Center on Reinventing Public Education, a research group based at Arizona State University, released its fifth annual State of the American Student report this week. The 74 reported the findings on Oct. 21. The headline number is brutal. Only 10.5% of students attend districts that have fully recovered in both subjects.
Moreover, pandemic learning loss did not hit every state evenly. The report estimates that lifetime earnings could fall by nearly 9% for students in the hardest-hit states. In the least-affected states, the drop is closer to 2%. In addition, an average Mississippi eighth grader is now nearly two and a half years ahead of an average West Virginia eighth grader on adjusted national test scores.
CRPE director Robin Lake did not sugarcoat it. “Things have been getting worse for a long while now,” she said. In fact, the report notes that national achievement started sliding around 2013, well before COVID. The pandemic simply made a bad trend much worse.
Attendance Is Still a Problem
Here is another warning sign. According to the report, no state has returned to its pre-pandemic attendance levels. That matters, because chronic absence makes pandemic learning loss much harder to reverse. Still, some states, like Alabama and Iowa, are gaining ground on chronic absenteeism.
Louisiana Beat Pandemic Learning Loss. Here Is How.
Louisiana is the bright spot. In May, the Louisiana Department of Education announced that it ranked first among states in reading growth and second in math on the Education Scorecard from Harvard, Stanford, and Dartmouth researchers. It is also the only state where average performance now tops 2019 levels in both subjects.
Gov. Jeff Landry explained the approach in plain terms. “We returned our classrooms back to the basics, empowered teachers and families,” he said. Likewise, the state leaned on literacy and math reforms, quality instructional materials, tutoring, and new attendance strategies.
Harvard’s Tom Kane, who helps lead the scorecard, said the results show “what’s possible when state leaders stick with evidence-based interventions and give districts the support they need to follow through.” That is the lesson. Louisiana picked a plan, stuck with it, and measured the results.
Of course, Louisiana is not finished. Its own numbers show chronic absenteeism rose from 18.8% in 2022 to 22% in 2025. Even so, it is proof that recovery is possible.
Money Alone Did Not Fix It
During 2020 and 2021, Congress sent nearly $190 billion to elementary and secondary schools for pandemic recovery. Harvard and Stanford researchers found the aid did help. Each extra $1,000 per student was linked to about six days of added math learning.
However, Kane himself called that federal aid “ultimately insufficient” to finish the job. The CRPE report makes the same point more bluntly: “A literacy law is not a strategy. A funding increase is not a strategy.”
For a fiscal conservative, that line should land hard. Taxpayers sent schools nearly $190 billion. Yet pandemic learning loss still lingers in most districts. The answer is not another blank check. Instead, it is clear goals, proven teaching methods, and real accountability for results.
Why Red States Are Pulling Ahead
The report found that change has split along party lines. Red states are attacking pandemic learning loss with more complete reading and math policies and enforcing them more aggressively. For example, 13 of the 18 states that passed math laws since 2022 are red. Only two are blue.
Meanwhile, 43 states and D.C. have passed science of reading laws since 2013. But passing a law is the easy part. Only eight states are fully carrying out most of the 18 early literacy principles that ExcelinEd recommends. As a result, many reforms look better on paper than in the classroom.
A Fair Word on School Choice
To be fair, CRPE also challenges red states. It asks how they will square instruction reform with private school choice programs that face little public accountability. It also notes that Florida, despite strong reading reforms, ranks last among states in reading recovery.
That is a fair question, and conservatives should answer it honestly. School choice gives parents power, and parents are the best accountability system there is. Still, choice works best alongside strong teaching and clear results. Families deserve both.
What Parents Should Demand on Pandemic Learning Loss
First, a clear goal. Only 13 states have specific learning goals that parents and teachers can easily find. Eleven states have published no statewide goals at all. If a state cannot say what it is aiming for, nobody can hold it to anything.
Second, proven instruction. Phonics-based reading and structured math are not partisan ideas. They are what the evidence supports. Third, a path after graduation. CRPE found only six states have adopted most of the policies needed for strong career guidance. That is one reason Workforce Pell Grants matter for students who want a trade.
Finally, parents should stay involved. Washington is stepping back from education, so state capitols and local school boards matter more than ever. As co-author Chelsea Waite put it, “It’s not a good time to follow the party line. It’s a good time to do what works.”
Frequently Asked Questions
What is pandemic learning loss?
It is the drop in student achievement in reading and math that followed school closures and disruptions starting in 2020. National scores had already been slipping since about 2013.
Which state has fully recovered?
Louisiana is the only state where average student performance now exceeds 2019 levels in both reading and math, according to the Education Scorecard.
Did federal relief money work?
Partly. Research from Harvard and Stanford found the nearly $190 billion in aid boosted achievement. However, it was not enough to reverse pandemic learning loss in most districts.
Follow World of Payne for More
Education is where the next generation of builders, workers, and leaders gets made. For more conservative commentary on schools, including the Supreme Court school admissions case, visit the World of Payne homepage. Then follow the World of Payne show on X, Facebook, and Instagram so you never miss an episode. And if your state has no clear plan for your kids, ask your school board why.
