NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release: January 29, 2025
Mississippi 4th graders No. 1 in the nation for NAEP gains over time
Rising scores follow state’s major education reforms enacted in 2013
Mississippi’s 2024 NAEP highlights:
- Highest-ever rate of students scoring proficient or advanced in all four tests: 4th and 8th grade reading and math
- No. 1 in the nation for achieving highest score increases in 4th grade reading and math since 2013
- No. 9 in the nation for overall 4th grade reading scores and No. 16 for 4th grade math scores (up from No. 49 and No. 50 in 2013)
- African American 4th graders rank No. 3 among their peers nationally for reading and math scores
- Hispanic 4th graders rank No. 1 among their peers nationally for reading scores and No. 2 for math scores
- Economically disadvantaged 4th graders rank No. 1 in the nation among their peers in reading and No. 2 for math.
- 8th grade scores hold steady since 2013 as scores nationally dropped
- Mississippi is one of only 13 states with gains in 4th grade math, which is the only subject and grade nationally that showed statistically significant improvements since 2022
JACKSON, Miss. – The 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) results show Mississippi 4th graders lead the nation for gains over time, ranking No. 1 for score improvements in reading and math since 2013. Over the same period, Mississippi 8th graders held steady in reading and math as scores nationally dropped.
The 2024 NAEP results also show Mississippi’s highest rates of students scoring proficient or advanced in all four tested grades and subjects. Known as the Nation’s Report Card, NAEP measures student performance in 4th and 8th grade reading and math in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. NAEP is administered every two years.
Mississippi is one of only 13 states with gains in 4th grade math, which is the only subject and grade nationally that showed statistically significant improvements since 2022. The percentage of Mississippi 4th graders scoring proficient or advanced in math increased from 32% in 2022 to 38% in 2024, which is statistically tied to the 2024 national rate.
Mississippi 4th graders continue to stand out in reading, with the percentage of students scoring proficient or advanced reaching 32%, higher than the national rate of 30%. Only one state, Massachusetts, achieved higher 4th grade reading scores than Mississippi.
“The 2024 results prove that the education reforms the state has been implementing over the past decade work. They also validate the historic gains Mississippi students first showed in 2019,” said Dr. Lance Evans, state superintendent of education. “When we keep academic standards high, focus intensely on literacy, and ensure a strong accountability system for schools and districts, student achievement improves.”
Mississippi enacted three major education reform laws in 2013 that established the state’s first state-funded pre-K program, made reading instruction a major focus in pre-K through grade 3, and mandated that schools and districts earn annual A-F grades based on their students’ progress and achievement. At that time, Mississippi 4th graders ranked No. 49 in the nation for NAEP reading scores and No. 50 for NAEP math. Today, NAEP’s unrounded rankings show Mississippi 4th grade reading scores rank No. 9 in the nation and 4th grade math scores rank No. 16.
Notably, African American, Hispanic and economically disadvantaged Mississippi 4th graders outperform their peers nationally. African American students rank No. 3 in the nation for reading and math scores, Hispanic students rank No. 1 for reading and No. 2 for math, and economically disadvantaged 4th graders rank No. 1 in reading and No. 2 for math.
As Mississippi 4th graders score at or above the national average, 8th graders continue to score below the national average.
In 2013, Mississippi 8th grade scores ranked No. 50 for reading and No. 49 for math. In 2024, 8th grade scores rank No. 41 for reading and No. 35 for math.
“While Mississippi has made tremendous progress, we need to build upon our momentum to close achievement gaps and ensure all students are proficient,” Evans said. “We have more work to do, particularly in middle school.”
The Mississippi Department of Education’s (MDE) latest initiatives to boost student achievement include deploying math coaches to strengthen classroom instruction and providing educators support to identify and implement high-quality instructional materials. The math coaching initiative mirrors MDE’s proven literacy coach model, which has demonstrated success in improving student outcomes. MDE is also launching an adolescent literacy initiative targeted to improving outcomes in grades 4-8.
NAEP scores have been falling over the past decade in most states. Despite this national trend, Mississippi is one of only a few states with improved NAEP scores over the past decade.
Mississippi’s statewide assessments support the state’s NAEP results. Student achievement has improved steadily since the current state assessments were first administered in 2016. Since that time, the percentage of students scoring proficient or advanced on state assessments increased from 32.6% to 47.8% in English Language Arts and from 31.1% to 56.3% in math.
View document that highlights Mississippi’s 2024 NAEP results
View national NAEP results: nationsreportcard.gov
Find all MDE news releases at mdek12.org/news.
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Media Contact:
Jean Cook, APR
Chief of Communication
601-359-3515
jcook@mdek12.org
Shanderia Minor
Public Information Officer
601-359-3515
sminor@mdek12.org
