Federal testing data released Wednesday show that students’ reading and math performance continues to stagnate in the United States, with weaker outcomes concentrated among older children. The results come from the long-term trends assessment, which is typically administered every four years and measures academic skills at ages 9 and 13. Across the latest cycle, the data indicate that younger students have made some progress in reading and math after pandemic-related disruptions. In contrast, older students’ performance does not show similar improvement, suggesting that gains for younger grades are not carrying over to older students. The federal government’s release provides a snapshot of how academic skills have changed over time for those age groups, highlighting a widening difference by age. The findings suggest that, while recovery has occurred for younger students, instruction and learning impacts remain evident for older students. The data are presented as a broad indicator of trends in reading and mathematics achievement based on the assessment’s design and the age cohorts tested.