Falling Test Scores - Teachers, Students, or All of Us?

The nation’s report card just failed us all.

For more than a decade, high school reading and math scores have been sliding. The COVID-19 pandemic didn’t just stall that decline—it accelerated it. The latest results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress, better known as the nation’s report card, show that 12th graders’ scores have now dropped to their lowest point in more than 20 years.

And it isn’t just seniors. Eighth graders lost significant ground in science. The downward drift isn’t new—it’s been showing up across grade levels and subjects in earlier releases—but the pandemic put the decline into sharper focus.

So the question we should be asking is: Why?

Poor Teaching Skills?

Some will point to teachers. Have classrooms become less effective? Is teaching watered down by bureaucracy, test prep, and one-size-fits-all curriculums? Teachers themselves will argue they’re juggling too much—administrative mandates, shrinking budgets, and larger classrooms—while still trying to prepare kids for the world outside.

Slower Students?

Others will say today’s students just don’t have the same drive. Are they less prepared? Less curious? Less resilient? Is this a matter of ability, or have we lowered our expectations so much that the results were inevitable?

Social Media Addiction?

Then there’s the cultural shift. It’s hard to ignore the endless distractions of TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. When an eighth grader is glued to a phone for six hours a day, is it any wonder their science scores lag behind? We’ve created a world where attention spans are measured in seconds, but math and reading require focus that stretches across years.

Or Something Else Entirely?

Maybe it’s all of the above—and more. Family dynamics, economic pressures, political divides, even the way technology has reshaped communication—all of it plays a role. The fact that these scores have been sliding for more than a decade suggests it’s not just a pandemic problem. It’s systemic.

The Hard Question We All Need to Answer

If our nation’s report card is telling us that 12th graders are walking out of school with the weakest skills in two decades, then the finger-pointing game won’t fix it. Teachers, parents, administrators, politicians, and yes—even the kids themselves—are all pieces of this puzzle.

The real danger isn’t just low test scores. It’s what happens when a generation enters adulthood without the reading, math, and science skills to compete in a global economy already racing ahead of us.

How Does This Effect the Offsite Construction Industry?

How will these falling test scores affect our ability to fill the next generation of skilled labor jobs in the offsite construction industry?

Factories already struggle to find workers who can read blueprints, measure accurately, or follow complex assembly instructions. If our schools continue graduating students with weaker math, reading, and science skills, the labor shortage in construction will only get worse. Offsite and modular factories don’t just need bodies on the line—they need sharp, adaptable minds that can keep pace with advanced tools, software, and technology. If the education system can’t deliver that foundation, the future of housing production could stall before it even gets rolling.