Standardized testing statistics 2025

Note: After the NCLB was implemented, 23 states expanded their assessment programs to meet federal law requirements and introduce tests for grades that were not previously assessed. Since then, NAEP and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) were formed, helping some schools cover the gap in standardizing tests and implementing them.

What percentage of students struggle with standardized tests?

The majority of students struggle with standardized tests. Based on 2024 NAEP Results, only 39% of 4th grade students and 28% of 8th grade students performed at or above the Proficient Level. 24% of 4th and 39% of 8th graders performed below the Basic Level.

2024 SAT assessment showed that only 39% of standardized test takers met or exceeded readiness benchmarks in the Evidence-Based Reading and Writing and Math.

In 2024, the 19.4 average ACT composite score became the lowest in over 30 years. Only 30% of graduates met three or four ACT’s readiness benchmarks for colleges (English, math, reading, science) and only 57% met at least one benchmark.

Support with math skills for standardized testing for elementary, middle, and high school students

Struggling in a math class is a common practice these days in the US schools. Considering the common testing anxiety and learning gaps the pandemic learning loss caused, it’s important to constantly practice and improve math skills to keep on track and pass such tests successfully. 

Statistics on standardized testing: Several tools to work with

• Regularly pass diagnostic tests during the standardized testing preparation
• Constantly cover learning gaps with tailored worksheets for each problematic subject
• Start practicing with a personal tutor who is an expert in standardized testing preparation

Brighterly math tutoring platform covers all these measures for your kid:

• A set of diagnostic tests to help identify math learning gaps timely
• Helpful guides and math worksheets with ready-made tests to prepare for any exam and gain confidence to pass it.
• Personalized tutoring programs with math experts, with a 4.6 satisfaction score on Trustpilot among over 200,000 satisfied parents

Try for free all the diagnostic tests from Brighterly today to make the first step towards covering your kid’s math learning gaps.

Free diagnostic tests [grade 1-9]

1st grade math test	4th grade math test	7th grade math test
2nd grade math test	5th grade math test	8th grade math test
3rd grade math test	6th grade math test	9th grade math test

Also, you can request personalized coaching from Brighterly, the most effective tool for standardized testing support. During 1:1 sessions with math tutors, your kid will be covering learning gaps faster compared to practicing with templates and in group sessions or math classrooms. Request a free lesson from a Brighterly math tutor for your kid so they can start preparing for tests regularly at an affordable price from 17.40/lesson right now.

If you’re limited on budget, you can still boost your kid’s math level and help them pass any test with custom worksheets for specific math subjects — for example, addition without regrouping or dividing decimals.

Why standardized testing is good (statistics)

The key factors supporting statistics about standardized testing being good are their predictability for students and relative objectivity for educators and policymakers. 

How does standardized testing help students?

With a predictable schedule of tests, students can plan their effort and get more control over their education.

How does standardized testing improve education?

With objective assessment and hard data, the education system can clearly see the situation with academic performance nationwide.

Facts about standardized testing

• Shows the areas of students’ improvement
• Helps to set benchmarks to track progress
• It’s a good prep for future tests in adult life
• Spots systematic problems in schools, states, and countries
• Minimizes the subjective grading risks
• Facilitates analysis and acting on educational problems 
• Keeps kids busy preparing for the exams and passing them!

Source: Center for American Progress

What is the biggest issue with standardized testing?

The biggest issues with standardized testing are that tests deepen social disparities and teach kids to concentrate on getting a good grade rather than enjoying the learning process.

Racial disparities are the most illustrative statistics on why standardized testing is bad. Based on the National Center for Education Statistics, Asian and White students demonstrate better average SAT scores than other races year by year, from 2017 to 2024.

Negative standardized testing statistics: Do tests help children learn?

The negative standardized testing statistics raised the national debate on whether taking test after test is an accurate tool for learning and absorbing information.

Project-based learning as an alternative to standardized testing

As the Washington Post noted, project-based learning is getting more popular in current research on standardized testing and seems more relevant to the current standardized learning challenges. In particular, it lets students dive deep into a selected project instead of chasing superficial bits of facts to pass the test. 

Better test structure as a possible solution to common standardized testing problems

Another approach to learning as an alternative to standardized testing is changing the standardized tests themselves. The one-size-fits-all testing doesn’t take into account the differences in the learning styles of students and the resources from schools. 

Standardized testing and mental health statistics

Based on the standardized testing stress and anxiety statistics, 13%-70% of students experience the symptoms of test anxiety, with every third student experiencing high test anxiety that is functionally impairing and causing concentration reduction and slow cognitive functioning.  

Standardized testing test anxiety statistics are better researched for students from universities, with almost all of 3,000 surveyed students reporting at least one symptom of test anxiety in 2024. Still, a 2016 PubMed research validates the estimation from other studies that between 10-40% of all K-12 students experience test anxiety of some level, with factors like gender, race, and income at the core. 

What is a standardized test score in statistics?

A standardized test score in statistics is a number that demonstrates the students’ performance on a unified scale to evaluate and compare it with others in a defined population. To get a standardized test score, the evaluators convert the number of correct answers or points earned into a standard score value.

Standardized testing score statistics: How to deal with it?

Even though testing seems objective and clear, there are negative effects of standardized testing on students statistics:

• It still requires a board who makes a final decision and does a conversion
• It doesn’t take into account the specifics of individual learning 
• High achievement in standardized testing doesn’t equal deep subject knowledge

Subjectively, testing causes severe anxiety problems for kids and their parents all over the US. Nevertheless, there is no better tool today to get a clear sense of where your child stands academically. And the great news is that focused practice with a dedicated math tutor helps to improve scores and make testing familiar and manageable.

Conclusion: Next steps on standardized testing statistics 

As standardized testing statistics 2025 show, this testing method is an imperfect yet still effective tool for evaluating academic performance, including math proficiency for K-12 students. Based on the numbers, some states have made slight progress in 2024, but the nationwide math proficiency and SAT and ACT scores are still lower than before spring 2020. This tension creates extra stress on students, boosting their anxiety levels and raising the question of whether a standardized testing procedure is really helping them to learn.

Key standardized testing pros and cons are:

+ Clarity of the studying path and benchmarks for students and parents

+ Regular tracking system of nationwide academic performance for educators

– Standardized evaluation doesn’t take into account individual specifics and social disparities

– Test results show systematic differences based on race, gender, and income level

Notwithstanding its cons and negative results, standardized testing is the practice that will stay with us, and our children need our total support to deal with it — especially if you come from a family and/or from a state that doesn’t perform statistically well on SAT, ACT, NAEP, or any other standardized test.

If your child struggles with standardized testing, you can always enroll in the Brighterly math program. The website contains free worksheets and helpful math guides, along with an option to book 1:1 sessions with math tutors.

To get started, just pass one of the quick math tests 1-9 grades. After that, Brighterly teachers can evaluate your child’s level, identify areas for improvement, and provide all the assistance needed before the standardized math test.