Harrisburg, PA, January 29, 2025 —

"The latest NAEP results are deeply concerning and reinforce the urgent need for Pennsylvania to take bold action in addressing our literacy crisis. The average score for PA students has dropped to 216, a decline from 219 in 2022 and significantly lower than 221 in 2002. Since 2013, Pennsylvania has seen a decline of 10 points in fourth-grade average reading scores, outpacing the national average decline of 6 points during this period.

Additionally, the percentage of Pennsylvania fourth graders scoring proficient or above has declined from 40% in 2013 to just 33% in 2024—a 7% decrease—compared to a national decrease of 4%. Performance gaps for historically marginalized students remain stark: Black students scored 31 points lower than their White peers, Hispanic students scored 30 points lower, and economically disadvantaged students scored 25 points lower than their more affluent peers. These gaps have remained largely unchanged for the past two decades.

Despite this sobering reality, we know that change is possible. States that have invested significantly in comprehensive literacy policies and evidence-based instruction—such as Mississippi, Indiana, South Carolina, and Tennessee—are seeing real progress. Louisiana, for example, has exceeded its pre-pandemic scores and now exceeds the national average. Pennsylvania must follow suit by prioritizing and fully funding policies grounded in the science of reading.

We call on state leaders to take decisive action now and commit $100 million in the 2025 state budget toward evidence-based literacy policies. The data makes it clear: without targeted investments in teacher training, universal screeners, and high-quality curricular materials aligned with the science of reading, Pennsylvania’s literacy crisis will continue to deepen. The time to act is now."

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About The PA Literacy Coalition

The PA Literacy Coalition is a non-partisan coalition of more than 30 cross-sector organizations from across Pennsylvania working to advance evidence-based literacy education and funding. For more information, visit www.paliteracy.org.  

About NAEP

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), often referred to as the Nation’s Report Card, is the most comprehensive and widely respected assessment of student achievement in the United States. Administered by the National Center for Education Statistics, NAEP provides a clear picture of how students are performing in key subjects, including reading and math, over time and across states. The latest results highlight troubling trends in Pennsylvania’s literacy outcomes, signaling an urgent need for action.