According to a highly respected global assessment, reading achievement in the United States is above average (National Center for Educational Statistics, 2026; OECD, 2026). In the latest administration of PISA (Program for International Student Assessment), which was administered to more than 760,000 students in 91 countries and economic entities, the US score of 490 was higher than the 461 average score of 37 OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development Countries). OCED countries and entities are part of the 91 countries and entities participating in PISA but are economically similar to the United States and so offer a fairer comparison. The US score was higher than the scores of 75 of the 91 participating countries and economic entities. About 13 percent of U.S. students were top performers, a higher percentage than the OECD average of 6 percent. However, there has been a drop of 14 points in US scores since the last administration of PISA in 2022. This represents a loss of approximately 6-7 months and is similar to the loss experienced by the other OECD countries. Despite having above average scores, the US has the largest achievement gap between high and low achievers. Some 26% of US 15-year-olds were categorized as low achievers on the reading assessment. They failed to reach a a minimum threshold. The US also has a large gender gap. Girls outscored boys by an average of 24 points, which is equivalent to about a year of reading achievement.
It may come as a surprise that reading achievement in the US is above average. Reports in the media and from professional organizations often make statements such as “2/3 of US students are reading below the proficient level.” The word proficient is often misinterpreted to mean grade level, but it is most likely above grade level. The Center for Education Statistics (2025) cautions, “NAEP Proficient does not signify meeting grade level expectations, which are set through state assessments.” In a 2018 article, Peggy Carr, then associate commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), stated:
We have gotten an earful from our stakeholders about the confusion of the word “proficient” as we use it. . . . NAEP sorts students’ scores into three achievement levels: basic, proficient, and advanced. And to understand how many US students are performing on grade level, it is far more accurate to look at “basic” scores, rather than “proficient.” (Hinckley, 2018).
Even though US 15-year-olds scored above average, the drop in scores is concerning as is the gap between the highest and lowest achievers and the large percentage of low achievers. Screening tests for identifying older struggling readers can be found on the website buildingliteracy.org under the Assessing Reading tab. Future blogs will discuss programs and techniques for instructing older struggling readers.
References
Hinckley, S. (2018, April 12). National testing: What does it mean for a student to be “proficient”? Christian Science Monitor. https://www.csmonitor.com/EqualEd/2018/0412/:~:text=But%20the%20National
National Center for Educational Statistics (2025). NAEP achievement levels.
https://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/guides/
National Center for Educational Statistics (2026). PISA 2025 reading results.
https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/pisa/pisa2025/index.asp#/reading/international-comparisons
OECD (2026). PISA 2025 Results (Volume I): Future-Ready Students. PISA, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/73451bc5-en