{"id":2574165,"date":"2026-02-26T21:14:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-27T02:14:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/covid-hangover-new-research-suggests-most-schools-havent-recovered-from-lockdowns-and-the-academic-numbers-are-devastating\/"},"modified":"2026-02-26T21:17:14","modified_gmt":"2026-02-27T02:17:14","slug":"covid-hangover-new-research-suggests-most-schools-havent-recovered-from-lockdowns-and-the-academic-numbers-are-devastating","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/covid-hangover-new-research-suggests-most-schools-havent-recovered-from-lockdowns-and-the-academic-numbers-are-devastating\/","title":{"rendered":"COVID HANGOVER: New Research Suggests Most Schools Haven&#8217;t Recovered from Lockdowns, and the Academic Numbers Are Devastating"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">34<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fcovid-hangover-new-research-suggests-most-schools-havent-recovered-from-lockdowns-and-the-academic-numbers-are-devastating%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2574165&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>A recent NWEA report analyzes how the pandemic has affected American students and shows uneven, incomplete recovery across math and reading. Using fall 2024 data from more than 5 million students in over 9,000 schools, the study compares current performance to fall 2019, before lockdowns. Key findings include:<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Most schools have not recovered to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/south-dakota-lowers-unemployment-to-pre-pandemic-levels-after-state-rejected-lockdowns\/\" title=\"South Dakota Lowers Unemployment to Pre...... Levels After State Rejected ...\">pre-pandemic levels<\/a> in either subject. About 1 in 3 schools recovered in at least one subject, but only about 1 in 7 recovered in both math and reading.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Recovery paths vary widely; there is no single route to returning to prepandemic achievement.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Initial declines were larger in math than in reading. Only about 22% of schools have returned to pre-pandemic math levels, and 24% have done so in reading.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Some schools,termed \u201crebounder\u201d schools,managed to return to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ny-post-editorial-board-the-price-tag-for-covid-school-closures-that-led-to-historic-learning-losses-for-kids-could-top-28-trillion\/\" title=\"NY Post Editorial Board ... The price tag for COVID school closures that led to historic learning losses for children could top  Trillion\">pre-pandemic achievement levels<\/a> despite early declines.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; The overall pattern shows stronger recovery in math than in reading, with reading continuing to show net declines.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Rural districts led the nation in recovery, ahead of suburban and urban districts.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Race and school diversity matter: recovery rates are higher in majority white and Asian schools, followed by majority Black and hispanic schools, while the most diverse schools were least likely to have recovered across groups.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Separately, Education week reports on the 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), noting declines in <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >high school seniors\u2019 mastery<\/a> of basic skills. among 12th graders, 35% were college-ready in reading (down from 37% in 2019) and 33% were college-ready in math (down from 37% in 2019).<\/p>\n<p>the findings indicate that the pandemic\u2019s educational impact persists, with considerable variation by subject, geography, and demographic factors.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>The long and lingering shadow of the pandemic reveals a dark truth about American education: Kids have not healed from the scars of lockdowns.<\/p>\n<p>NWEA, a research organization, recently issued a report based on the test scores of more than 5 million students in more than 9,000 schools. The results are not pretty.<\/p>\n<p>Data from the fall of 2024 shows that, compared to the fall of 2019, before lockdowns disrupted education for millions of children, most schools had not recovered in either math or reading, according to a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.prnewswire.com\/news-releases\/new-nwea-study-finds-uneven-academic-recovery-only-one-in-three-schools-recovered-in-math-or-reading-302695007.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">news release<\/a> on the study.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;About 1 in 3 schools have recovered in either math or reading; only 1 in 7 schools have recovered in both subjects,&rdquo; the study found.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Our findings show there was not a single path to recovery,&rdquo; Dr. Emily Morton, lead research scientist at NWEA, said.<\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"anyclipvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadAnyclip() { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst container=document.getElementById(\"anyclipvideo\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!container) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script=document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src=\"https:\/\/player.anyclip.com\/anyclip-widget\/lre-widget\/prod\/v1\/src\/lre.js\"; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.setAttribute(\"pubname\", \"westernjournalcom\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.setAttribute(\"widgetname\", \"001w000001jULVcAAO_M12924\");  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ append inside the container so player shows in correct spot \t\t\t\t\t\tcontainer.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement=document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element \t\t\t\t\t\tlet targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING);  \t\t\t\t\t\tif (targetIndex===-1 || targetIndex <x) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Not enough paragraphs before the target element.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\treturn paragraphs[targetIndex - x]; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Set up IntersectionObserver \t\t\t\t\tfunction observeElement(element) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!element) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst observer=new IntersectionObserver( \t\t\t\t\t\t\t(entries)=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tentries.forEach(entry=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tif (entry.isIntersecting) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log(\"Paragraph is now visible:\", entry.target.textContent.trim()); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloadAnyclip(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.disconnect(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t}, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t{ threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed \t\t\t\t\t\t);  \t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.observe(element); \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #anyclipvideo and observe it \t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphToObserve=findPreviousParagraph(\"#anyclipvideo\", 2); \t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;While some schools recovered by avoiding initial declines, others rebounded with remarkable growth. These &lsquo;Rebounder&rsquo; schools offer critical lessons about the practices and investments that can help students regain lost ground and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/congresswoman-elect-appeals-to-husbands-death-to-encourage-americans-to-get-covid-19-vaccine-look-at-my-family-use-my-story\/\" title=\"Congresswoman...Elect Appeals To Husband\u2019s Death To Encourage Americans To Get COVID...19 Vaccine: \u2018Look At My Family, Use My Story\u2019\">continue moving forward<\/a>,&rdquo; she said.<\/p>\n<p>The report noted that &ldquo;Initial declines were larger in math than in reading.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>That means that getting math scores back where they were was a steeper climb, one that only 22 percent of schools have made.<\/p>\n<p>Only 24 percent of schools have recovered to pre-pandemic levels in reading, the study said.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Recovery has been stronger in math, where average achievement has rebounded, while reading continues to show net declines,&rdquo; the study said<\/p>\n<p>Some schools &ldquo;experienced average or larger-than-average initial declines and still managed to return to pre-pandemic achievement levels by 2024,&rdquo; the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nwea.org\/uploads\/From-loss-to-recovery-diverring-paths-and-uneven-gains-across-schools_NWEA_researchBrief.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">report<\/a> said.<\/p>\n<p>The report said rural schools led the nation in recovery, ahead of suburban and urban school districts.<\/p>\n<p>Race was also a factor in how schools fared.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;In general, we see higher rates of recovery for majority white and Asian schools, followed next by majority black and Hispanic schools,&rdquo; the report said.<\/p>\n<p>The report added that schools &ldquo;that are the most diverse &hellip; were least likely to be recovered across all school groups.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>High school seniors&rsquo; average reading and math scores have dropped on the &ldquo;nation&rsquo;s report card&rdquo; &mdash; and the scores of students struggling the most have fallen to historic lows, according to a report by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.edweek.org\/leadership\/struggling-high-school-seniors-fall-even-further-behind-on-nations-report-card\/2025\/09\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Education Week<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>In September, results of the 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress were released, showing more students failed to reach the level considered mastery for basic skills, according to Education Week.<\/p>\n<p>Of 12th graders who took the test, 35 percent were prepared for college in reading, down from 37 percent in 2019. Only 33 percent were prepared in math, down from 37 percent in 2019.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Here\u2019s a paraphrase of the article content you provided:<\/p>\n<p>The lingering effects of the pandemic have exposed a troubling truth about American education: students have not fully recovered from the lockdowns. NWEA, which analyzed test results from more than 5 million students across over 9,000 schools, finds that by fall 2024, most schools had not yet regained ground in math or reading compared with fall 2019, before the disruptions. The study notes that about one in three schools have recovered in at least one subject, while only one in seven have recovered in both subjects, underscoring that there wasn\u2019t a single clear path to recovery. Dr. Emily Morton, the study\u2019s lead researcher, emphasizes that there wasn\u2019t a universal route to bouncing back.<\/p>\n<p>The report also highlights that some schools recovered by avoiding initial declines, while others rebounded with substantial growth. These \u201cRebounder\u201d schools illustrate the kinds of practices and investments that can help students regain lost ground. Initial declines were larger in math than in reading, with only about 22 percent of schools returning to pre-pandemic math levels and around 24 percent returning to pre-pandemic reading levels. Overall, math has shown stronger recovery on average, though reading continues to display net declines. Some schools that experienced sizeable early declines still managed to return to pre-pandemic achievement levels by 2024. Rural districts led the nation in recovery, outpacing suburban and urban districts.<\/p>\n<p>Racial composition also affected outcomes. Generally, recovery rates were higher in majority white and Asian schools, followed by majority Black and Hispanic schools, while the most diverse schools were the least likely to have recovered across all groups. High school seniors have seen declines in average reading and math scores on the national report card. Education Week reports that the 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress results show more students failing to reach mastery in basic skills. Among 12th graders, 35 percent were prepared for college in reading (down from 37 percent in 2019), and 33 percent were prepared in math (down from 37 percent in 2019)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2574166,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/School-lockdown-recovery.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[74696,3774,5152,74695],"class_list":["post-2574165","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-academic-performance-2","tag-covid-19","tag-education","tag-school-closures-2"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/School-lockdown-recovery.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2574165","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2574165"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2574165\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2574169,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2574165\/revisions\/2574169"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2574166"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2574165"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2574165"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2574165"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}