
Illinois 8th Grade Test Scores Do Better Against Nation
With the second semester underway in Illinois schools, the National Assessment of Educational Progress scores have arrived and we may have to make some space on the fridge at the capital in Springfield for display purposes.
Illinois held even to 2022 levels in 8th grade reading with a score of 262. That is still down from a score of 266 21 years ago in 2003, but an improvement against the national average of 257. In math Illinois 8th graders saw a bump from 2022 277 vs 275. That’s equal to the 8th grade score in 2000. Again, scoring better than just a handful of states nationally which is at 272.
4th grade reading scores in Illinois came out in the middle of the pack nationally. Scoring 214 in 2024, which is down a bit from 2022 and in 2000 with a mark of 216. But still pretty consistent. Illinois 4th grade math was just below the national average of 237, coming in at 236. Also, middle of the pack, but up quite a bit from the 2000 score of 223.
Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker focused his praise on state funding for schools, and the Illinois State board of education was excited to announce that it was on track to fully invest the federal pandemic relief funds.
The kudos however goes to the teachers who are in the classroom everyday with the kids, and to the students themselves who did the work and scored the numbers. 8th grade is a difficult time in life. These students put aside whatever awkwardness they’ve been experiencing to achieve.

Making up for lost time in the class and learning during covid continues apace across the country. Good news when it comes to educational outcomes in Illinois is certainly welcome. Could it be better? Sure, it always could. But it could also be a whole lot worse.
Keep learning, keep growing, keep building.
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Gallery Credit: Stacker
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