State School Superintendent Kirsten Baesler said Wednesday that North Dakota students outperformed national averages in mathematics in the newest results for the National Assessment of Educational Progress.

Eighth graders that took the NAEP, which is referred to as the “Nation’s Report Card,” had an average mathematics score of 280, compared to the national average of 272, Baesler said.

For North Dakota’s fourth graders, the mathematics average was 241, compared to 237 nationally. Both spreads are considered meaningful, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.

Results of the NAEP were released nationally on Wednesday. It was administered to 5,707 North Dakota fourth graders and 6,721 eighth graders from Jan. 29-March 8, 2024, at 219 test sites. The student participation rate was above 95 percent. Students need two hours to take the NAEP, which includes mathematics and reading exams.

North Dakota students’ reading scores were similar to national averages. For fourth graders, the average reading score was 216, compared to a national average of 214. North Dakota eighth graders scored an average of 257, which was identical to the national average.

“It took the unprecedented impact of a global pandemic to cause a significant decline in our scores. Regaining that ground and then starting the climb upward again will require an equally substantial effort,” Baesler said. “Our teachers have taken incredible steps toward improving our reading and math instruction, and I believe those efforts are bearing fruit.”

In fourth-grade mathematics, five states had higher average scores than North Dakota, according to an analysis of NAEP results. Six states had higher average scores in eighth-grade math. In fourth-grade reading, 12 states had better average scores than North Dakota, while 23 had higher average scores in eighth-grade reading.

Here is a summary of score averages:

North Dakota NAEP Reading Results

North Dakota NAEP Mathematics Results

NAEP North Dakota Vs. National Comparisons

NAEP North Dakota Vs. National Comparisons

Additional information is available on the National Assessment of Educational Progress website for mathematics and reading.