Michigan

Press Release

February 11, 2025

Contact: Sam Stockwell
samuel_stockwell@gse.harvard.edu
617.495.0342

Michigan Ranked 17th Among States in Math Recovery and 44th in Reading Between 2019 and 2024

Reading is more of a concern in Michigan than math, as 98% of students are in districts whose average reading achievement in 2024 remained below their own 2019 levels.

A sharp rise in chronic absenteeism from 20% of students in 2019 before the pandemic to 38% in 2022 (down to 30% in 2024) is slowing the recovery in many of the state’s districts.

(February 11, 2025) In its third year of reporting on the pace of academic recovery measures in districts nationwide, the Education Recovery Scorecard (a collaboration between the Center for Education Policy Research at Harvard University and The Educational Opportunity Project at Stanford University) is issuing its annual report on district-level student growth in math and reading.

The latest report also provides the first high resolution picture of where Michigan students’ academic recovery stood in Spring 2024, just before federal relief dollars expired in September. While the National Assessment of Educational Progress described changes in average achievement by state, we combine those scores with district scores on state assessments to describe the change in local communities throughout Michigan. Here’s what we found:

Michigan ranked 17th among states in terms of recovery in math and 44^th in reading between 2019 and 2024.
Students remain 40% of a grade level behind 2019 levels in math (.4 grade level equivalents) and over three quarters of a grade level behind in reading (.76 grade level equivalents). In other words, the loss in math achievement in Michigan is 40 percent of the progress students typically make annually between grades 4 through grade 8.
The average student in some districts, such as Kalamazoo and Lansing, remains at least a grade equivalent below their 2019 mean achievement in math—likewise for reading in Ann Arbor, Portage, Kentwood, and Grand Rapids.
Reading is more of a concern in Michigan than math, as 98 percent of students are in districts whose average reading achievement in 2024 remained below their own 2019 levels, compared to 81 percent in math. This is true in many other states, with 89 percent of students in districts nationally below 2019 levels in reading, and only 11 percent above.
Still, there are bright spots: mean achievement for students in Traverse City has nearly recovered to 2019 levels in math and exceeded 2019 levels in Forest Hills. Forest Hills is also approaching recovery in reading.
A sharp rise in chronic absenteeism (students missing more than 10 percent of a school year) from 20 percent of students in 2019 before the pandemic to 38 percent in 2022 (down to 30% in 2024) is slowing the recovery in many districts in Michigan.
Michigan received over $5.7 billion in federal pandemic relief for K-12 schools—or roughly $3,900 per student—which is slightly more than the national average of $3,700 per student. Nationally, our analysis suggests that the dollars did contribute to the academic recovery, especially when targeted at academic catch-up efforts such as summer learning and tutoring.

One of the project leaders, Professor Tom Kane from Harvard, said: “Unless state and local leaders step up now, the achievement losses will be the longest lasting– and most inequitable– legacy of the pandemic.”

The federal pandemic relief dollars may be gone, but the pandemic’s impact lingers in many Michigan schools. Even without federal relief dollars, states could be targeting continuing federal Title I dollars and state dollars to implement interventions which have been shown effective, such as tutoring and summer learning. State leaders, mayors, employers and other community leaders should join schools to redouble efforts on the shared challenge of reducing student absenteeism.

For the national press release and findings click here

About the Center for Education Policy Research at Harvard University

The Center for Education Policy Research at Harvard University, based at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, seeks to transform education through quality research and evidence. CEPR and its partners believe all students will learn and thrive when education leaders make decisions using facts and findings, rather than untested assumptions. Learn more at cepr.harvard.edu.

Contact: Sam Stockwell, samuel_stockwell@gse.harvard.edu, (617) 495-0342

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