Is Literacy In English Declining?

Is Literacy In English Declining?

Literacy Rate Declining In USA?

I ask this because I read an article, ironically written by a US man of South Asian descent ...

 ... bemoaning the fact that the figures released National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), show that US levels of reading and literacy have steadily declined since 2013. This after the figures from the start of this century, showed that American students had registered steady improvement in maths and reading. 

In fact the article went on to say that so dramatic has this reversal been, that students have apparently regressed to a level not seen in 25 years or more. Test scores from NAEP, released 2026 showed that 33 percent of eighth grader's are reading at a level that is “below basic.” This meant that the students tested struggled to follow the order of events in a written passage, or even to summarise its main concept.

This the author stated was the highest share of students unable to meaningfully read since 1992.
With the fourth grader's, having 40 percent below "basic" in reading ability and comprehension, the highest percentage share since 2000. He then stated that in 2024, the average score on the ACT (a college-admissions standardised test, that is graded on a scale of 1 to 36), was 19.4 - the worst average performance since the test was redesigned in 1990.

A rather depressing summary of the decline in standards. It was harder to find one reason for this, as for example the decline had set in before Covid-19, with it accepted that social media and smartphones being at least a factor in the decline. The author also pointed a finger at left-wing "progressive" educators, who he suggested didn't hold the students to high enough attainment standards.

In the UK, according to the educational establishment, apparently reading and maths standards are generally improving year-over-year, but still  remain slightly below pre-pandemic levels.

Key Stage 2 (Primary School) in England

Maths:

• In recent Key Stage 2 tests, 73% of pupils met the expected standard in maths—a figure that has remained completely unchanged for consecutive years.

Reading:

• Reading standards in England have seen a steady upward bump, with 74% to 75% of pupils hitting the expected benchmark.

Combined:

• Across reading, writing, and maths, roughly 62% of pupils met all expected standards combined. While this marks a post-COVID improvement, it still sits below the 65% benchmark seen in 2019.

However, worryingly, figures from the National Literacy Trust's data, show that young people's actual enjoyment of reading has dropped to historic lows, however this may be paper reading rather than screen reading, so perhaps is just a matter of tastes rather than a decline.

The UK has devolved government with England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland al having their own education departments. This means performance varies between them. Wales, in particular, has apparently seen a more pronounced decline in maths and reading outcomes following the Covid pandemic, raising concerns among regulators like Estyn (the Welsh schools watchdog) about both teaching quality and curriculum adaptations.

As you might guess, there are International Standards, which we have touched on before, known as the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) global rankings, run by the OECD.
This evaluates the skills of 15-year-old students globally. This indicates that worldwide there has been a big decline in core subjects: Maths, Reading and Science, since 2011.

Again, its not clear why, but if I was a pessimistic type I might suggest that its almost as though the human race is getting stupider.