Louisiana is the only state to surpass pre-pandemic levels in both reading and math, according to a new report from Harvard, Stanford, and Dartmouth
BATON ROUGE, La. — Louisiana continues to lead the nation in academic improvement, according to the latest Education Scorecard released today by researchers from Harvard University, Stanford University, and Dartmouth College. The 2026 report shows Louisiana ranks first among states in reading growth and second among states in math. Louisiana is the only state where average student performance has surpassed 2019 levels in both reading and math.
“I’m proud of Louisiana students and grateful for the teachers who are driving these results,” said Louisiana State Superintendent of Education Dr. Cade Brumley. “These rankings are a point of pride for our state, but we are far from satisfied and will keep pushing for greater academic outcomes.”
“Today’s education scorecard results did not happen by accident. They happened because we changed the script in Louisiana. We returned our classrooms back to the basics, empowered teachers and families, and removed woke, DEI material from our curriculum,” said Governor Jeff Landry. “Louisiana is leading again, and this is only the beginning!
Louisiana Leads the Nation, Again
Louisiana ranked first among states in reading growth and second in math in the 2025 Education Scorecard, which measured recovery from 2019 to 2024. The latest scorecard shows Louisiana is still leading the nation, this time for growth from 2022 to 2025.
Louisiana’s scorecard results include:
Louisiana ranks first among states in reading growth and second among states in math growth.
Louisiana is the only state to surpass 2019 levels in both reading and math.
Louisiana is the only state to surpass 2019 levels in reading and one of two states in math.
Statewide, chronic absenteeism, which is defined as students missing more than 10 percent of a school year, continues to be an issue, rising from 18.8 percent in 2022 to 22 percent in 2025.
“The pandemic was the mudslide that followed seven years of erosion in student achievement, and very few places have managed to dig out. Louisiana is the only state in the country that has climbed back above its 2019 levels in both math and reading,” said Tom Kane, Faculty Director of the Center for Education Policy Research at Harvard University.
“To be the only state above its pre-pandemic levels in both math and reading shows what’s possible when state leaders stick with evidence-based interventions and give districts the support they need to follow through. Now the goal should be to ensure that the students in districts which are still behind 2019 levels finish their recovery.”
Ahead of National Trends
The national findings highlight why Louisiana’s results stand out. While the report says reading recovery is only beginning to turn around across the country, Louisiana students have already surpassed pre-pandemic reading levels. The report also points to evidence-based reforms, targeted academic support, and sharing successful local practices as priorities for education leaders. Louisiana has invested in many of these areas through literacy and math reforms, high-quality instructional materials, tutoring, school improvement supports, and the 2025 launch of statewide student attendance strategies.
Districts on the Rise
The report also recognized several Louisiana school systems as “Districts on the Rise,” a designation for school systems showing unusual progress compared with similar peers in their state. Natchitoches Parish was recognized for growth in both reading and math; West Baton Rouge, St. Martin, and Concordia were recognized for reading; and Lafourche, St. John the Baptist, and Webster were recognized for math.
About the Education Scorecard
The Education Scorecard is a collaboration between the Center for Education Policy Research at Harvard University, the Educational Opportunity Project at Stanford University, and faculty at Dartmouth College. It provides high-resolution, district-level data on academic recovery across the United States, combining state test results for roughly 35 million students in grades 3 through 8 with national assessment data.
Data note: