American public education gets an “F” in latest report card
The latest release of the Nation’s Report Card, formally known as the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), paints a sobering picture of American education. The 2025 results reveal that American students—particularly those in urban public schools—are continuing a long-term academic decline in math, science, and reading. While Democrat COVID-19 school closure policies exacerbated the crisis, the downward spiral began well before the pandemic. The implications are profound. Without a well-educated generation, America’s global competitiveness and leadership are at risk.
According to the NAEP, twelfth-grade math scores in 2024 were the lowest since the current assessment began in 2005. Only 22 percent of 12th graders performed at or above the “proficient” level in math. An astounding 45 percent fell below the “basic” level—a five-point increase since 2019. Reading scores were similarly dismal. Just 35 percent of students reached “proficiency”, and nearly one-third scored below “basic”. In science, eighth-grade scores dropped 4 points since 2019, with only 31 percent achieving “proficiency” and 38 percent falling below “basic”, the highest failure percentage since 2009.
These declines are not isolated incidents. They reflect a decades-long erosion of academic achievement. The achievement gap is widening, and the most vulnerable—students in segregated urban schools—are bearing the brunt. Millions of Black and Hispanic students are failing or dropping out. Even those who receive high school diplomas are not prepared for college admission or career-level jobs.
Public School Problem
The NAEP data includes students from public, charter, private, and parochial schools. While all sectors saw some decline, public schools—particularly in large Democrat-controlled cities—fared the worst. Chronic absenteeism, lack of individualized instruction, and bureaucratic inertia have crippled many urban public school systems. In cities like Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles, where public education is dominated by entrenched political interests financially tied to powerful teachers’ unions, reform has been slow or actively resisted.
These cities also tend to have high concentrations of segregated minority students. The data shows that those communities are disproportionately affected. The failure to provide quality education in these areas is not just a policy failure—it’s a moral one.
School Choice Programs Work
Amid this bleak landscape, one solution has consistently shown promise — school choice. Charter schools, private institutions, and parochial schools have outperformed traditional public schools in key metrics year after year. For example, a 2023 study by the Urban Institute found that students in charter schools were 12 percent more likely to reach proficiency in math and 15 percent more likely in reading compared to their public school counterparts. Similarly, private school students scored 20–30 points higher on standardized tests across subjects.
These schools often operate with greater flexibility, accountability, and parental involvement. They are not bound by the same bureaucratic and political constraints as public schools — and can innovate in curriculum, discipline, and pedagogy. More importantly, they offer families—especially low-income and minority families—a chance to escape failing schools.
Yet, despite the evidence, school choice remains a politically charged issue. Many Democrat-led urban districts oppose voucher programs and charter expansion, citing concerns about funding and equity. But the current trajectory suggests that maintaining the status quo is far more damaging. Since non-public schools operate on lower budgets, the record clearly establishes that funding is not a root cause of educational failure.
Political Resistance to Reform
The opposition to school choice is often framed as a defense of public education. But in practice, it has become a defense of teachers’ unions, Democrat political machines and failing students. Teachers’ unions, which wield significant influence in Democrat-controlled cities, have consistently lobbied against charter school expansion and voucher programs. Their resistance is not rooted in student outcomes but in preserving institutional power.
This political entrenchment has real consequences. In cities like Detroit and Baltimore, where public schools are in crisis, charter schools have long waiting lists. Parents are desperate for alternatives, but the system denies them access. The result is a generation of students trapped in underperforming schools with little hope for academic success.
The implications of this crisis go far beyond test scores. In an era of rapid technological advancement and global competition, a nation’s strength is increasingly tied to its intellectual capital. If American students continue to fall behind in STEM and literacy, the country risks losing its edge in innovation, leadership, and economic power.
Lesley Muldoon, executive director of the National Assessment Governing Board, warned that today’s students are entering adulthood “with fewer skills and less knowledge in core academics than their predecessors a decade ago”. This is happening at a time when the demands on future workers and citizens are greater than ever.
Real Reform Versus Continued Failure
To reverse this decline, policymakers must embrace bold reforms. Expanding school choice should be at the forefront. This includes:
- Universal voucher programs. Allow families to choose the best school for their children.
- Charter school expansion, especially in underserved urban areas.
- Accountability measures. Reward schools for performance and penalize failure.
- Teacher accountability. End practices that protect incompetent teachers.
- Parental empowerment, giving families a real voice in their children’s education.
These reforms are not a panacea, but they offer a lifeline to students trapped in failing schools. They also introduce competition into a stagnant system, forcing public schools to improve or lose enrollment.
Summary
The 2025 Nation’s Report Card is a wake-up call. America’s education system is in crisis, and the consequences are too dire to ignore. The data is clear. Public schools — especially those serving segregated minority schools in Democrat-controlled urban centers — are failing to educate the next generation. School choice offers a proven alternative, but political resistance continues to block progress.
If America is to remain a global leader, it must invest in its most valuable resource—its children. That investment means embracing reform, empowering families, and holding schools accountable. America’s future depends on it – as do the hopes and aspirations of millions of students who are currently denied access to America’s opportunity society. Their loss is the nation’s loss.
So. there ‘tis.
Start holding the teachers union responsible. They are after all supposed to be professionals and they are clearly not doing their jobs.
The author has been doing this a long time and sometimes seems to drag things back from the past that may not be true today. He then blithely mixes and matches these old gemstones with the new facts from the story he is covering from the present mixing apples with broccoli and telling you it’s potatoes.
It’s been close to five years since COVID-19 first disrupted schools seemingly fogging the author’s reality. The author claims: “The 2025 results reveal that American students—particularly those in urban public schools—are continuing a long-term academic decline in math, science, and reading. While Democrat COVID-19 school closure policies exacerbated the crisis, the downward spiral began well before the pandemic, and new data, known as the Nation’s Report Card, offers cause for hope — and concern.”
First, the report summary does not differentiate between urban and rural nor callout or confirm the author’s claim of geographic or partisan failures. There is data in the database, perhaps, but we know the author did not process the data; he’s living in his own reality of the past merging it with this new report without checking his past recollections. Apples, broccoli, potatoes. Second, the author admits the downward spiral existed during Trump’s first term and Trump did nothing about it. Third, and very familiar to the author, he once again blames Democrats for covid school closure policies, as if closures were a bad thing even. I am sorry, which is worse: not closing the school, too short a closure, OR closing a school a bit longer than needed out of a sense of caution and concern for our children and our teachers? The author seems to prefer more sickness and death over less and feels the educational advantage trumps the risk of infection.
For those who say closures caused our kids to be stupid, I say, “hey parents, these are your kids, check in to see how they are doing, and if failing, pick up the slack and get them back on track. If it’s to be, it’s up to thee.” I know my kids would have sailed through this just fine because I would kill myself to make it so no matter what I had to do, what I had to give up, no matter how much extra time I would have to put in to make it right. Seen it, felt it, been there, and did whatever it takes to make it so for my kids.
Larry, over 90% of the world’s countries closed schools during covid. PERIOD. Democrats did not close 90% of the world’s schools. The author appears to be in a 10% minority of altered reality. Sweden kept its schools open; the effect was the doubling of covid cases amongst teachers over remote, many hospitalizations, some dying from the effort. The teacher’s partners also exceeded averages for getting covid. Students in Sweden seemed to fare OK disease wise but education wise, no real benefit. Other countries staying in school did not fare as well making teaching as dangerous as other first-responder jobs. Teachers faced danger like the military, police, and emt’s. Except teachers did not sign up for first-responder risks. Nor do they get paid for it.
FYI: the best results were found in country’s that monitored schools closely to only close the ones experiencing infections at the first signs of infection. We don’t have those monitoring and control capabilities. That would be my recommendation to follow “best in class.” The author only offers “blame Democrats.” Frankly, the issue was not closing the schools, the issue was when to reopen, and that’s where we have a partisan divide and a lot of global data to sift though to find best-in-class for reopening. Just blaming Democrats does not get you there.
To call school closures Democratic policy is worse than to forget the reality of truth in history. It is a bald-faced lie that blows his entire story out of the waters of logic and careful study. The author is good at that as he conveniently forgets that the first US school closure was ordered by Republican Governor Mike DeWine who blamed DEATH, not Democrats for his actions. And that’s what really takes the cake: the author is willing to spread his deadly bullshit thinking you are too stupid to check him on the facts. On the facts, he fails, don’t even know why he tries the lies. As the author spaced on DeWine, he also missed that on the same day, Republican Larry Hogan of MD closed schools. Abbot closed schools early in Texas. So did Reeves and even DeSantis. Are they all under the spell of Democrats? In the real world, 19 of 26 Republican governors closed schools early in the pandemic. The author is full of bullshit.
The author needs to understand that closing schools in the US was not partisan until people like him made it up after the fact. When to open them up again was a partisan argument, and still is, but the data is out there to determine best-of-class opening times for this virus. And IF the author bothered to look, he would find that “best in class” for this, globally, were countries capable of monitoring schools for closure on a school-by-school basis. That took a rapid response effort allowing super-closer monitoring of each and every school. Trump could have done that. But, of course, the author can’t comprehend “best in class” and applauds Trump on our response that totally SUCKED coming in at 222 out of 238 countries for covid death rate. That’s what a Republican response to covid results in. PERIOD. Our response murdered hundreds of thousands with an early grave and we can’t even break the top 100 for death rates due to our response.
The author does that jedi mind trick a lot where he mixes his history with his hysteria creating fact fabrication in the process. Like when he claims: “Millions of Black and Hispanic students are failing or dropping out.” From AI, “The high school status dropout rate for Hispanic students (16- to 24-year-olds) in the U.S. was 7.9% in 2022, a significant decline from previous decades. This trend reflects a broader decrease in the dropout rate for all racial and ethnic groups over the past 10 to 20 years.” Uh oh, spoiler alert, it’s been getting better, not worse.
Or the truth that “the percentage of Black students who drop out of high school has significantly declined, with rates aligning more closely with the national average in recent years. For instance, the status dropout rate for Black youth decreased from 10.3% in 2010 to 5.7% in 2022.” Told you, better not worse.
BUSTED (and yes, latino’s and black’s drop out more than whites, that’s another issue but not solely one to blame Democrats for. But the author sees millions and then fabricates how it’s the Democrats fault it’s getting worse when neither are true: in reality at least.
What NPR, a left-of-center bias media outlet concludes on the report: “The good news: In math, many students have made up at least some of the academic ground they lost during the pandemic. The bad news: In both reading and math, most fourth- and eighth-graders in 2024 still performed below pre-pandemic 2019 levels.”
It is a sobering report and we have much work to do. That’s true. The pandemic did have a negative effect, but we were going south during Trump, and before. Dragging out old grievances and tropes will not solve our problems. The blame game of shame solves nothing except air out your old hatreds. We need serious adult facts for solving serious issues. Not whitewashed, biased partisan, stereotypes from the past. Nothing has changed about charter schools being beneficial in urban areas, not so much so in rural areas where their results are meh against public schools. But the author says “all good” even as he knows better. Nothing has changed about our education bogus local funding process creating schisms in education for rich and poor geographies. The author says poor city schools should be the same as rich suburban. He claims he can do this by ending Democratic policies. Just banging on Democrats will fix nothing; it just makes the author feel better to blame a boogieman because adult solutions escape his grasp. But I challenge him to find a Republican city, or State, that has fixed all this via conservative policies and programs. He can’t do it is my guess, but would love to see him succeed.
Frank Danger nee Frank Stetson and those other nom de plumes you used over the years. Since education is one of my most important topics, I decided to see what you had to say about my commentary. I was not surprised. Your jealous obsession with being the anti-Larry has gotten worse – meaning your responses are becoming more and more convoluted and ignorant. As have your snarky snide remarks and insults. In this response you have outdone yourself – and that is quite an accomplishment.
My commentary was about the declining school performance in America. That is a fact attested to by numerous studies. Studies also establish that segregated inner city schools (with longtime control by the Democratic Party) fare worse than White or integrated schools in the SAME public school systems with the same level of funding. It is also established that private and parochial schools – and charter schools – perform significantly better than public schools.
Studies clearly show that Covid policies had a significant negative impact on education in America. We would have been better off had we not closed the schools. It was a huge mistake – to which most experts now agree. And the impact I still being felt. More importantly, the decline of mostly public school education has been occurring for decades.
In terms of dropout rates, you have been suckered by the education establishment. When I was consulting with the Chicago Board of Education – the claimed dropout rate in Black schools was in the 12 percent range. But that is the ANNUAL rate. The four-year dropout rate – meaning children entering high school and those graduating – showed more than 50 percent dropout rate – the real rate. And that did not take into consideration those who dropped out before high school.
And yes, I do lay the blame for urban segregation and poor minority education on those Democrats running the cities for all these years. It is the last vestige (hopefully) of a history of institutional racism. They are the ones who have been in control all these years. I do believe Republican leaders would do much better – as has been seen in the old south. But there are other Democrat leaders who would also do better if given the chance – but they are not in charge.
So, there ‘tis. And I am not responding to you for your edification. That is no longer possible. You obsessively cling to your ignorance. Just thought that perhaps anyone reading hour garbage may not realize how ignorant you really are.
And as a postscript, I have to laugh when I see you counselling others about civil and informed dialogue – and avoiding nasty and insulting ad hominin attacks – when you are among the worst abusers. Making you an obsesses, ignorant hypocrite. And that is not an insult – just an observation.
Do not get your hopes up. This is not the resumption of dialogue. I have long ago realized the futility of intelligent discourse with you. LOL
On a positive note, I am humbled and honored by your loyalty. Carry on, OLD boy!
As I said: “But I challenge him to find a Republican city, or State, that has fixed all this via conservative policies and programs. He can’t do it is my guess, but would love to see him succeed.”
Good luck.
Horist likes to shame me on my callouts to his poor debate skills to use ad hominem attacks calling me a plethora of nasty names. He blames me for calling names, does not show them or prove specifics, and then rants out a bunch himself. He has a long history of picking fights and then blaming his perceived enemy for starting it. He has polished that turd for years, it’s very shiny now, but short on specifics. Still a turd. On this story, I did call him a liar, provided specific examples of his lies, and sourced all to highly factually unbiased sources. His bio claims: “An award-winning debater,” (is this guy claiming college debates on his bio?), so one would think he has the concepts of debate down pat. But he does not prove didley and cannot follow a debater’s format for love nor money. He even disagrees with me when I agree with him, on rare occasion.
A debate is an organized argument or contest of ideas in which the participants discuss a topic from opposing sides. The participants discuss a topic supported by evidence, coming from documented sources that prove your point, which might even be an unassailable opinion. As I have said, I am here to listen to what’s important to you, to respond, often push back, and then let’s have a healthy, vibrant, discussion of the issue as told by the facts. With decorum. With respect. PBP writers mostly just pass on debate and discussion, that’s OK. Hell, except for Horist, PBP writers cannot muster a bio, a resume. They are the no-ones of the conservative movement, not proud enough, to even say who they are. Sure, I could do the same approach with liberal sites, but IMO, that’s just boring. Arguing far left liberals does not provide much insight given my baggage of being a centrist liberal: far left on the issues, far right on the financials.
Larry claims most of his conclusions without data support instead using generalized unspecified sources to reach his bottom line: basically, because Larry said so. And he’s been doing this a long time. And he said so. He often offers anecdotes instead of quantifiable, statistical data. He plays off your stereotypical ideas to feed his bloodlust for Democrats whom he blames for life’s ills. If you agree already, you believe his story, his “facts.” If you question his fact-less, unsupported, unsourced statements of fact, you are the enemy to be vanquished or ignored.
That’s on style; on the facts in his story and reply, he said: “Studies also establish that segregated inner city schools (with longtime control by the Democratic Party) fare worse than White or integrated schools in the SAME public-school systems with the same level of funding.” He offers no evidence, no source. And in this story that focuses on ONE study, that study does not say that. Come on Larry, turn over your sources to the public, and then turn over the Epstein files :>)
He goes on: “it is also established that private and parochial schools – and charter schools – perform significantly better than public schools.” For charter schools, the evidence is shown above, with urban charters doing better than public, and rural charters doing the same or worse, was shown and sourced in his last article on the subject. He is wrong on the facts. I had shown this to Larry before, perhaps he skipped school that day. But to redo it one more time: a 2024 report out of University of Michigan concluded:
“Urban charter schools, which primarily adopt “No Excuses” practices, are shown to substantially boost students’ standardized test scores, AP test-taking and scores and SAT scores.
Despite minor delays in high school graduation timelines, urban charter schools significantly increase the likelihood of college enrollment and persistence. After six years post-high school graduation, urban charter attendance increases the probability of earning a bachelor’s degree by 4.1 percentage points, translating to an 18% increase over the comparison group.
In contrast, nonurban charter schools, which employ a variety of educational models, show a surprising reduction in standardized test scores and AP course enrollment. However, these schools still manage to significantly enhance college outcomes.
Nonurban charter school students exhibit a remarkable increase in four-year college enrollment and graduation rates. Six years post-high school graduation, nonurban charters boost bachelor’s degree completion by 10.4 percentage points, a notable 21% increase over the comparison group.”
They have the data to back that up; there are many other studies that show similar data. Larry, this is how I respond: facts. I conclude and admit that:
1. Charter schools (CS) are generally better, they are diverse, serve those impoverished well
2. However, urban cs better, rural cs not better (bear in mind that means urban areas under Democrats control)
3. Charter schools tend to be found in urban areas so less rural versions to study given the economic model for cs harder to fulfill in urban areas
4. Charter schools basically suck for special needs students making the cs job easier by basically denying service to all but the normal leaving the State to add the resources to pick up those pieces.
You deny these facts and just call me some names. As I have said before: the bottom line here is not to accept the averages, there is too much inconsistency between charter schools. But realize that references and recommendations are your best choice for school choice with charter schools being a good choice. JUST check them out and vet them, especially in rural areas because consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds and in the charter school game, it’s not consistent results school to school, especially in urban and rural choices. Let’s see Larry piss and moan about that.
On covid, you just outright lie: “Studies clearly show that Covid policies had a significant negative impact on education in America.” Yeah, losing 1 million people because of the Trump response can do that too. Sorry, too soon perhaps. Try: that may be true, just like charter school online teaching sucks, on average, over public-school online teaching is true, does not mean charter schools are bad or even online for YOUR student is bad. But yeah, covid caused a decline in education results. I daresay that would have happened independent of school closings. But I agree, it happened. Your lie is: “we would have been better off had we not closed the schools. It was a huge mistake – to which most experts now agree.” This is a lie, he offers no facts, he has no sources, he may have “experts,” but he won’t show his hand. Why can’t he find a single “expert.” I showed that 90% of the world closed schools, those that did not, sickened and killed teachers, and their spouses, for what profit? Not education. PERIOD. Also, Republicans, not Democrats in America, and across all of America, began the closing of schools during covid. I listed them. Hoist is a liar to blame Democratic policies when Trump ran the country. Horist is a liar to blame Democrats for establishing school closings for Republican governors. As I noted, there is a debate on WHEN schools should have reopened and hopefully, someday, by looking at the facts, science will give us a determination of that. Very good chance we could have closed smarter, opened earlier, but fuck —– it was our first time in covid and I would rather close for too long than be open too much, reopen too soon and needlessly kill people. I like our teachers, I like America’s next generation, I don’t want to kill them in lieu of figuring out remote schooling for a bit of time. Like Larry wants to control women’s wombs, he wants to force your kids into life threatening situations because he can’t figure temporary remote learning out.
“In terms of dropout rates, you have been suckered by the education establishment. When I was consulting with the Chicago Board of Education – the claimed dropout rate in Black schools was in the 12 percent range. But that is the ANNUAL rate. The four-year dropout rate – meaning children entering high school and those graduating – showed more than 50 percent dropout rate – the real rate. And that did not take into consideration those who dropped out before high school.” How can you claim I have been duped if you don’t show your work to prove the “duping?” I posted the facts and sources. It was from AI, not the education establishment and they reference numerous sources. And your source? It’s yourself from how many decades ago, an outdated anecdote at best, for a school system that you worked to improve and say your work resulted in a suck school system. Because of Democrats of course. Your observances don’t a quantitative analysis using proven scientific methodologies. Matter of fact, your work in Chicago seems to resulted in a failure, according to you now. Is that how you became an expert debater: anecdotes? My goodness, my debate team leader father taught me that one at five years of age. Yeah, he debated for Swarthmore, what’s in your wallet for debate?
“And yes, I do lay the blame for urban segregation and poor minority education on those Democrats running the cities for all these years.” Well, you couldn’t fix it in Chicago. As I said: “The author says poor city schools should be the same as rich suburban. He claims he can do this by ending Democratic policies. PROVE IT: show us Republican cities using Republican policies, outperforming liberals in education, or anything. Just banging on Democrats will fix nothing; it just makes the author feel better to blame a boogieman because adult solutions escape his grasp. But I challenge him to find a Republican city, or State, that has fixed all this via conservative policies and programs. He can’t do it is my guess, but would love to see him succeed.” Crickets. Still waiting. Can’t do it, can you? So, demean me and run away again.
FYI: at the state level, all top public-school results come primarily from blue states. Good luck. I challenge you to find a city that has done what you claim they do. And the brilliant Republican policies and programs that made it happen. Spoiler alert: at the state level, FL is your best chance. You remember FL, right?
You conclude: “They are the ones who have been in control all these years. I do believe Republican leaders would do much better – as has been seen in the old south. But there are other Democrat leaders who would also do better if given the chance – but they are not in charge.” Yawn, a picture of the results for public schools at the state level shown at: *https://www.consumeraffairs.com/movers/best-states-for-public-education.html* which basically shows the South sucks in education and the author has lied again and cannot show his work, sources, or even facts.
So, there ‘tis. And along the way, you say: “I have to laugh when I see you counselling others about civil and informed dialogue – and avoiding nasty and insulting ad hominin attacks – when you are among the worst abusers” as in this piece where you call me a person with a: “jealous obsession with being the anti-Larry, your responses are becoming more and more convoluted and ignorant. As have your snarky snide remarks., obsessively cling to your ignorance. Just thought that perhaps anyone reading (h)your garbage may not realize how ignorant you really are, making you an obsesses, ignorant hypocrite. And that is not an insult – just an observation.”
“Making you an obsesses, ignorant hypocrite“ is where I realized Larry needs to loosen his knotted knickers that seem to be restricting the oxygen to his big and little heads. Actually Larry, your observations are often insults to logic. As I say over and over: prove it. You never have, you never do