US twelfth-graders had lowest reading performance in three decades, report shows

By Helen Coster

NEW YORK (Reuters) -Over 30% of U.S. students in their last year of high school lack basic reading skills, the lowest performance in over three decades, according to test results released on Tuesday that the administration of President Donald Trump pointed to as justification for its push to shrink the federal government’s role in education in favor of more control by the states.

The results from testing in 2024 are part of the National Assessment of Educational Progress, a congressionally authorized project sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education and administered by the National Center for Education Statistics.

They raise questions about the country’s ability to compete globally and adjust to workforce changes made only sharper by the advent of AI and other techno