This story was originally produced by the New Hampshire Bulletin, an independent local newsroom that allows NHPR and other outlets to republish its reporting.
New Hampshire is in the top 10% of states when it comes to fourth-grade and eighth-grade reading, according to the latest National Assessment of Educational Progress report, released Wednesday.
And the Granite State is in the top 12% for fourth-grade and eighth-grade math scores, the same report says.
The numbers show New Hampshire is an outlier compared to the rest of the country; nationwide, scores fell on average. And they indicated the state has made some gains since a year of remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic drove down test scores.
But despite the positive signs, Department of Education Commissioner Frank Edelblut said the test scores show there is still room for improvement.
“While we like the direction the scores are heading, especially since New Hampshire has been able to buck the national trends, we would still like to see bigger gains across the board,” Edelblut said in a statement. “What might not be readily apparent is that our higher performing students are making gains while our disadvantaged or low performing students continue to lose ground and are not recovering as quickly. We must work to close that gap for the benefit of all students.”
The results showed that in 2024, math scores for New Hampshire fourth graders were 242, up from 239 in 2022, and for eighth graders were 280, up from 279 in 2022
Eighth-grade reading scores in New Hampshire increased from 263 in 2022 to 264 in 2024, while they decreased for fourth graders from 223 in 2022 to 221 in 2024,
All of the scores outperformed the national average.
To Megan Tuttle, president of the National Education Association of New Hampshire, the state’s largest teachers union, the numbers are indicative of the effort schools and teachers have put in to close learning gaps during the pandemic.
“That’s a huge testament to the hard work of the New Hampshire educators, of the students, obviously, and all the families that are doing what they’ve always done, you know, despite all the challenges we’re facing,” she said.
But Tuttle said some of that work was made easier by federal COVID-19 grant money, particularly the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds. The funding allowed schools to modernize some technology, pay for math and reading specialists, and invest in emotional and mental health support for students.
The last of that money was distributed in September 2024; it is likely to be all used up by the end of the school year. That will put a new burden on school districts to continue improvements, Tuttle warned. She argues lawmakers should increase state funds to public schools to compensate.
“The funds definitely helped during the pandemic,” she said. “And I’m not saying you throw money at the problem and it goes away, but having those extra funds was helping to support some of those programs. … So now the state really needs to figure out, what are they going to do about that?”
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