Tennessee students among top performers for post-pandemic academic recovery

Tennessee students are among the top performers in the country for post-pandemic academic recovery, showing significant gains in math and reading levels.

The annual Education Scorecard measures student growth in those subjects by combining state assessment data of about 35 million students with national data to show academic recovery trends through the 2024-25 school year. The report covers grades three through eight and is a collaborative effort between scholars at Harvard, Stanford and Dartmouth.

Tennessee ranked second out of 38 states in math improvement between 2022 and 2025 and ranked fourth out of 35 states in reading recovery for the same period.

Context: Nashville schools rank in top 10 for recovery, but racial disparities persist (2024)

“The results highlighted in the Education Recovery Scorecard reflect the hard work of Tennessee students, teachers, schools, and districts across the state,” said Tennessee Education Commissioner Lizzette Reynolds. “Tennessee’s continued academic progress demonstrates the impact of our state’s strategic investments in literacy and math, strong instructional supports, and a steadfast commitment to student achievement.”

The report also found that Tennessee students have nearly reached pre-pandemic achievement levels in math. The state received about $3.86 billion in federal pandemic relief for K-12 schools — about $3,900 per student. Much of the improvement in many high-poverty districts was the result of this federal support, according to the report, and those dollars are no longer being offered.

Some Tennessee school districts received the special recognition of “Districts on the Rise” for showing exceptional progress compared to other districts in the state. These include Johnson City, Putnam, White and Maury County schools.

The report credited Tennessee’s gains in reading recovery to its early literacy initiatives and efforts to strengthen foundational literacy statewide.  

The Associated Press reported that students in many states are in a “reading recession,” which can be linked to the rise of smartphones corresponding to kids spending less time reading recreationally. The states showing improvement in reading scores, like Tennessee, Louisiana, Maryland, Kentucky and Indiana all required schools to teach with a phonics-based approach called the “science of reading.” This method pushes for students to learn how to read by sounding out words rather than relying on strategies like guessing words based on context clues.

“Tennessee’s latest Education Scorecard results signal more than learning recovery — they are further proof that Tennessee has become a national model for K-12 education,” said David Mansouri, president and CEO of SCORE. “Now the opportunity is to build on this momentum, close remaining learning gaps, and improve outcomes for every student in our state so that they are truly prepared for a thriving career that leads to economic independence.”

The report also found a statewide decrease in chronic absenteeism (students missing more than 10% of the school year). The rate has fallen from about 20% in 2022 to 18% in 2025, but it is still higher than pre-pandemic levels.