A decade-long decline in the academic performance of American students has reached its lowest point in more than 20 years, raising concerns that echo ongoing debates in the Philippines over literacy and learning recovery.

According to an Associated Press report dated 10 September 2025, U.S. high school seniors scored at historic lows in reading and math based on the latest National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP), considered the nation’s report card. Eighth graders also lost significant ground in science.

“Scores for our lowest-performing students are at historic lows,” said Matthew Soldner, acting commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics. “These results should galvanize all of us to take concerted and focused action to accelerate student learning.”

The AP report noted that while the COVID-19 pandemic worsened the decline, experts attributed the drop to broader factors such as increased screen time, shorter attention spans, and a reduced focus on long-form reading in schools. Education Secretary Linda McMahon pointed to widening achievement gaps despite billions spent on federal programs, while Rep. Bobby Scott of Virginia warned that dismantling the U.S. Education Department would further harm students.

In math, 45 percent of American high school seniors scored below “basic” achievement, the highest since 2005. In reading, the average score in 2024 was the lowest since the exam began in 1992.

Local parallels

The situation in the United States mirrors concerns in the Philippines, where the Department of Education (DepEd) has faced criticism over low reading proficiency and functional literacy rates.

In May 2025, DepEd clarified reports that 18.9 million senior high school graduates were “functionally illiterate.” DepEd Undersecretary Ronald Mendoza explained during a Senate hearing that the figure referred to Filipinos aged 10 to 64 and was based on revised literacy definitions by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), not just graduates.

“With the revised definition, overall literacy rates have decreased,” Mendoza said. Under the new criteria, functional literacy requires comprehension alongside basic reading, writing, and numeracy. PSA data showed the functional literacy rate at 61.7 percent in 2019, improving to 70.8 percent by 2024.

DepEd also reported in August 2025 that the number of “low-emerging readers” in the country fell by nearly 50,000, citing the success of the Learning Recovery Program (LRP) and Bawat Bata Makakabasa Program (BBMP). The programs boosted reading proficiency among Grade 1 to 4 learners, with marked improvements in both Filipino and English.

Shared challenges

Education experts in both countries have pointed to systemic issues that go beyond the pandemic. In the U.S., Carol Jago of the California Reading and Literature Project at UCLA said the shift from reading 20 full books a year to just a handful in some English classes has weakened students’ reading stamina.

“To be a good reader, you have to have the stamina to stay on the page, even when the going gets tough,” Jago said. “We’re not building those muscles in kids.”

In the Philippines, literacy gaps have been tied to resource shortages, inequities in access, and inconsistent implementation of K-12 reforms. Despite DepEd’s reported gains, challenges remain in ensuring comprehension skills match reading fluency.

Both nations are grappling with the long-term consequences of declining performance at a time when technology and labor markets demand higher competencies. As Lesley Muldoon, executive director of the U.S. National Assessment Governing Board, put it: “These students are taking their next steps in life with fewer skills and less knowledge in core academics than their predecessors a decade ago.”