5 Things You Need to Know About NAEP Science Results

5 Things You Need to Know About NAEP Science Results

How are U.S. students doing in science today? In 2024, a nationally representative sample of 8th graders took the NAEP science assessment. This marks the first time NAEP Science was administered since the pandemic disrupted schooling, providing us with an updated understanding of how today’s students compare to 8th graders in years past.

The key takeaway message is that the average grade 8 science score dropped 4 points between 2019 and 2024. This decline mirrors trends seen on 8th grade NAEP in math and reading over the same time period. The average science score for 8th-graders is now equivalent to the score in 2009.

Here are five more things you should know about the 2024 NAEP science scores:

The largest percentage of 8th graders in a decade are performing below NAEP Basic (remember: NAEP Proficient remains the goal).
The 2024 results show 38% of 8th graders scored below the NAEP Basic achievement level. This is the highest percentage of students not meeting NAEP Basic since 2011. What does this mean in terms of knowledge and skills? It’s likely, for example, that nearly 4 in 10 students do not know that plants need sunlight to grow and reproduce.

The achievement gap between the highest- and lowest-performing students is widening.
In 2024, higher-performing students’ scores declined since 2019, but the declines for lower-performing students were larger. In fact, they were the lowest scores ever reported on the assessment for students at the 10th and 25th percentiles. 

The male‒female score gap is significant again.
The male‒female score gap is statistically significant again in 2024; male students outscored female students by 2 points. This gap appeared on previous administrations of NAEP, but the difference was not statistically significant in 2019. Similar findings emerged on the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMMS) for grade 8 science in 2023. 

On NAEP, 8th grade average scores are on the decline across subjects in 2024.
Compared to 2019, average scores in 2024 declined across assessed subjects: math, reading, and science for 8th graders.

Students report participating less frequently in scientific inquiry-related activities in the classroom.
In 2024, a smaller percentage of students reported that they often or always participate in scientific inquiry activities, compared to 2019. These are activities like using information to disagree with someone about a scientific idea (down 4 percentage points) or using evidence from experiments to explain why something happens (down 5 percentage points).

To learn more about the 2024 science results, visit www.nationsreportcard.gov.