Kids Recovered Nearly a Third of the Remaining Pandemic Reading Gap in a Year
The largest gains went to the children who had fallen furthest behind, though most grades are still reading below where they were before COVID.
Photo: Artem Podrez / Pexels
Between spring 2025 and spring 2026, after years of pandemic setbacks, children in grades K through 8 made back almost a third of the reading ground that was still missing. NWEA, the K-12 assessment and research organization behind the MAP Growth tests many schools give, reported the gains, and they reached across grades and across student groups.
Dr. Karyn Lewis, NWEA's Vice President of Research and Policy Partnerships, called the shift a hopeful sign. "After several years of MAP Growth national data showing a widening gap and uneven academic recovery from the pandemic's disruptions to learning, we have promising signs of progress," she said. "Reading scores in 2026 give us hope as improvements were across grades and student groups."
The Children Furthest Behind Made the Largest Gains
The children who had lost the most ground made the biggest reading gains from 2025 to 2026, according to NWEA's latest findings. These are children from historically underserved groups, the ones the pandemic hit hardest, and this year they gained the most of any group.
Math Recovered in Elementary but Stalled in Middle School
Elementary math scores are climbing steadily, but in the middle school grades they stagnated across most student groups between 2025 and 2026. If your child is in middle school, math is the part that has not turned yet.
Lewis was also clear that reading scores in most grades still sit below pre-pandemic levels, and the gaps tied to race, ethnicity and school poverty have not closed.
FAQ
What is NWEA's MAP Growth?
What years does the reading data cover?
What does NWEA say needs to happen next?
Enjoying this article?
Subscribe to our newsletter and never miss a story. No spam, ever.
Editor-in-Chief
Editor-in-Chief of Rich Woman Magazine, founder of Sovereign Magazine, author of many books, Dr Marina Nani is a social edification scientist coining a new industry, Social Edification. Passionately advocating to celebrate your human potential, she is well known for her trademark "Be Seen- Be Heard- Be You" running red carpet events and advanced courses like Blog Genius®, Book Genius®, Podcast Genius®, the cornerstones of her teaching. The constant practitioner of good news, she founded MAKE THE NEWS ( MTN) with the aim to diagnose and close the achievement gap globally. Founder of many publications, British Brands with global reach Marina believes that there is a genius ( Stardust) in each individual, regardless of past and present circumstances. "Not recognising your talent leaves society at loss. Sharing the good news makes a significant difference in your perception about yourself, your industry and your community."
