D.C. Schools Post Strongest Academic Recovery: Highest Gains in Math and Reading on 2024 NAEP Assessment
The District of Columbia has posted the strongest academic recovery from the pandemic compared to similar states and districts, according to testimony presented before the DC Council on November 7, 2025. The 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) results, released January 28, 2025, showed D.C. posted the highest gains in math and reading from 2022 to 2024 when compared to other large urban school districts.
“D.C. has had a stronger recovery from the pandemic in recent years, compared to other states and districts,” stated Chelsea Coffin, Deputy Director of the DC Policy Center, during her testimony before the DC Council Committee of the Whole at the Academic Achievement Hearing.
Academic Gains in Math and Reading
The 2024 NAEP results demonstrate significant progress across grade levels. D.C. fourth-grade students achieved an 8-point increase in math on average scaled scores from 2022, tying with Delaware for the greatest improvement in math in the nation. Fourth-grade D.C. math performance now matches the large city average and approaches the national public school average.
On the District’s statewide assessments administered in spring 2025, results show even more expansive gains. In English Language Arts (ELA), 38 percent of students met or exceeded expectations—a 4-percentage point increase from the prior year and the highest level of achievement in the last decade. In math, 26 percent of students met or exceeded expectations, also representing a 4-percentage point increase from the previous year.
“This progress didn’t happen by accident—it’s the result of strategic investments and initiatives reflecting best practices in literacy and math supplemented by high-impact tutoring,” Coffin testified.
Pandemic Recovery Still Ongoing for Youngest Students
Despite overall improvements, D.C. schools continue to address lingering pandemic effects, particularly among the youngest assessed students. Grade 3 results reveal that students who were in pre-kindergarten during spring 2020 and learned virtually for an additional year remain behind pre-pandemic cohorts—especially economically disadvantaged students.
In English Language Arts, grade 3 students scored 3 percentage points lower than their pre-pandemic peers, with economically disadvantaged students showing a gap twice as large. In math, the gap widened to 8 percentage points, with a gap one-and-a-half times larger for economically disadvantaged students.
“Grade 3 results on the statewide assessment show that the pandemic’s impact lingers, especially for economically disadvantaged students,” Coffin noted.
Key Factors Driving Academic Recovery
School officials attribute the academic gains to targeted initiatives and sustained investments. High-impact tutoring programs, teacher professional development, and enrichment programs have supported improved outcomes across the District. All eight wards saw increases in ELA proficiency, and more than 60 percent of schools improved in both subjects during the 2024-25 school year.
“We are on a strong path toward recovery from the pandemic,” said Paul Kihn, D.C.’s Deputy Mayor for Education.
The District’s academic recovery demonstrates that with consistent investment and evidence-based interventions, schools can accelerate student learning and close achievement gaps created by pandemic disruptions.