Press Release
February 11, 2025
Contact: Sam Stockwell
samuel_stockwell@gse.harvard.edu
617.495.0342
Minnesota Ranked 45th Among States in Math Recovery and 34th in Reading Between 2019 and 2024
But that doesn’t tell the whole story—between 2022-2024, Minnesota ranked 16th in math and 8th in reading.
Despite gaining almost 20% of a grade level in math (.19 grade equivalents) between 2022-2024, students remain almost three quarters of a grade level behind 2019 levels.
(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 Minnesota 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 Minnesota. Here’s what we found:
- Minnesota ranked 45th among states in terms of recovery in math and 34th in reading between 2019 and 2024, but that doesn’t tell the whole story—between 2022-2024, Minnesota ranked 16th in math and 8th in reading.
- Despite gaining almost 20% of a grade level in math (.19 grade equivalents) between 2022-2024, students remain almost three quarters of a grade level behind 2019 levels (.74 grade level equivalents). Students made up slight ground in reading between 2022-2024 (.01 grade equivalents) but are still more than half a grade level below 2019 levels on average (.57 grade level equivalents). In other words, the loss in math achievement in Minnesota is almost 75 percent of the progress students typically make annually between grades 4 through grade 8.
- The average student in some districts, such as Lakeville, Eden Prairie, White Bear Lake, Mounds View, Robbinsdale, Burnsville, St Cloud, and North St. Paul- Maplewood Oakdale remains at least a grade equivalent below their 2019 mean achievement in math; the same is true for reading in South Washington County and North St. Paul- Maplewood Oakdale.
- Reading and math are both concerns in Minnesota, as 96% percent of students are in districts whose average math achievement in 2024 remained below their own 2019 levels and 98% are in districts whose average reading achievement in 2024 remained below their own 2019 levels, reflecting a national trend. Nationally, 89 percent of students are in districts below 2019 levels in reading, and only 11 percent have surpassed 2019 levels.
- Still, there are bright spots: mean achievement for students in Eastern Carver County has surpassed 2019 levels in math and recovered to only 20 percent of a grade equivalent below 2019 levels in reading.
- A sharp rise in chronic absenteeism (students missing more than 10 percent of a school year) from 14 percent of students in 2019 before the pandemic to 30 percent in 2022 (down to 26 percent in 2023) is slowing the recovery in many districts in Minnesota.
- Minnesota received over $2 billion in federal pandemic relief for K-12 schools—or roughly $2,300 per student—which is less than the national average of $3700 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 Minnesota 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