Wisconsin's classroom comeback is dragging, and the latest numbers make it hard to sugarcoat. A sweeping national analysis released Wednesday finds the state lagging behind most of the country in post-pandemic learning recovery. Wisconsin now ranks 33rd in math growth and 30th in reading, with the average student roughly 0.35 grade equivalents below 2019 math benchmarks and about 0.53 below 2019 reading levels. Some districts have clawed their way back with solid gains, but others are still stuck more than a full grade behind.
Those results come from the 2025 Education Scorecard, a district-level project led by researchers at Harvard, Stanford and Dartmouth that pulls together state tests for roughly 35 million third- through eighth-grade students, according to Education Scorecard. The state report maps out where Wisconsin stands on recovery and tracks the gaps between 2019, 2022 and 2025.
Districts On The Rise And Those Stuck In Neutral
A small group of "districts on the rise" breaks from the pack, with Fond du Lac, Cedarburg and Waukesha showing standout progress, while Sun Prairie Area, Oshkosh Area and West Allis-West Milwaukee are still trailing more than a full grade in math, as reported by Wisconsin Public Radio. Tom Kane of Harvard described the pandemic as "the mudslide that followed seven years of erosion in student achievement," a line the coverage highlights. The Fond du Lac case study credits curriculum alignment, new teacher roles and year-round partnerships with that district's rebound.
Attendance Problems And A Federal Lifeline
Chronic absenteeism, defined as students missing more than 10% of the school year, has eased but not disappeared. The statewide rate improved from 22% in 2022 to 17% in 2025, yet it still sits above pre-pandemic levels, according to Education Scorecard. The report also notes Wisconsin received about $2.4 billion in federal pandemic relief for K-12 schools, and it says much of the improvement in high-poverty districts was tied to that funding.
Researchers Say The Slump Started Long Before COVID
Authors of the Scorecard argue the country was already in trouble before anyone heard of COVID. They say the nation entered a "learning recession" in 2013 and point to factors beyond the pandemic, including shifting accountability policy and rising social-media use among youth, as part of the problem, as detailed by The 74. The analysis calls for renewed investment in early literacy, more research on classroom distractions and targeted funding to help middle-poverty districts catch up.
What It Means For Wisconsin Districts And Families
State and district leaders say the findings are less a final verdict and more a roadmap for where money and attention need to go next. As the Education Scorecard's Fond du Lac case study notes, "We refuse to let the summer slide undo the hard work our students and teachers put in during the school year," Superintendent Matt Steinbarth said in the study. Local reporting by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel says leaders are watching whether those strategies can be scaled across the state.
