Science learning statistics offer a useful snapshot of what children know, how they experience science class, and where performance differs across age groups and student populations. The latest figures here come from the 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) science assessment for U.S. eighth-graders and the 2023 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) U.S. results for fourth- and eighth-graders. Together, they describe achievement, participation, interest, confidence, and selected changes over time.
Contents
- How the assessments measure science
- What eighth-graders achieved in 2024
- Differences across science content areas
- Inquiry, resources, and classroom opportunities
- Interest and enjoyment in science
- Confidence and scientific reasoning
- TIMSS results for elementary and middle school
How the assessments measure science
The 2024 NAEP science assessment sampled approximately 23,000 eighth-grade students across 600 schools. Weighted student participation was 88 percent overall. The weighted participation rate was also 88 percent for public school students, while it was 92 percent for private school students and 92 percent for Catholic school students. These participation figures describe the assessment sample and should not be read as measures of science achievement.
NAEP reports grade 8 science results on a 0-to-300 scale. Its content framework measures three areas: Physical Science, Life Science, and Earth and Space Sciences. It also measures four science practices: Identifying Science Principles, Using Science Principles, Using Scientific Inquiry, and Using Technological Design. This combination allows the assessment to describe both what students understand and how they use scientific ideas.
The TIMSS figures provide a separate international assessment perspective. They include U.S. fourth- and eighth-graders in 2023, with results reported using science benchmarks, scale scores, percentiles, and selected racial and ethnic groups. NAEP and TIMSS use different designs and scales, so their scores should be considered within their own assessment systems rather than compared directly.
What eighth-graders achieved in 2024
In 2024, 31 percent of eighth-graders performed at or above the NAEP Proficient level in science, according to NAEP Science national trends. That was 4 percentage points lower than in 2019. The 2024 Proficient rate was not significantly different from the 2009 rate, so the comparison describes a statistically stable result across that longer period rather than a confirmed increase or decrease.
The Basic-level picture was broader. Sixty-two percent of eighth-graders performed at or above NAEP Basic in 2024. That share was 5 percentage points lower than in 2019 and was not significantly different from 2009. At the same time, 38 percent performed below NAEP Basic in 2024, a rate 5 percentage points higher than in 2019.
The average science score in 2024 was 4 points lower than in 2019. It was not significantly different from the 2009 average. Looking across the score distribution, science scores in 2024 were lower than in 2019 at all five selected percentiles reported by NAEP. Compared with 2009, the 2024 score was 3 points lower at the 10th percentile and 2 points lower at the 25th percentile.
These results show why a single average does not tell the whole story. The proficiency rates describe the share reaching defined performance levels, while percentile results show how the distribution shifted. The increase in the below-Basic share since 2019 and the declines across all five selected percentiles point to broad weakness relative to that earlier assessment year. The absence of a significant difference from 2009 means the longer comparison needs to be described more cautiously.
Differences across science content areas
NAEP’s three content areas show declines from 2019 in each reported average. In Physical Science, the 2024 average score was 3 points lower than in 2019. Scores also declined at the 10th, 25th, and 50th percentiles versus 2019. In Life Science, the 2024 average was 4 points lower, with declines also reported at the 10th, 25th, and 50th percentiles. In Earth and Space Sciences, the average was 4 points lower, and scores declined at all five selected percentiles compared with 2019.
The comparison with 2009 is more mixed at the upper end of the distribution. Physical Science scores at the 75th and 90th percentiles were higher in 2024 than in 2009. Life Science scores at the 75th and 90th percentiles were also higher in 2024 than in 2009. These upper-percentile results sit alongside the lower 10th- and 25th-percentile comparisons in overall science, illustrating that trends can differ by content area and by position in the score distribution.
| NAEP science measure | 2024 result or comparison | Reference period |
|---|---|---|
| Eighth-graders at or above Proficient | 31% | 4 percentage points below 2019 |
| Eighth-graders at or above Basic | 62% | 5 percentage points below 2019 |
| Eighth-graders below Basic | 38% | 5 percentage points above 2019 |
| Physical Science average | 3 points lower | Compared with 2019 |
| Life Science average | 4 points lower | Compared with 2019 |
| Earth and Space Sciences average | 4 points lower | Compared with 2019 |
Source: NAEP Science national trends. The table summarizes reported comparisons; it does not convert the NAEP scale into percentages.
Inquiry, resources, and classroom opportunities
The 2024 NAEP Science opportunities in education results include information about science-class activities. Fourteen percent of eighth-graders reported that they often or always, or almost always, participated in inquiry-related science-class activities. The corresponding share was 17 percent in 2019. Students who reported participating often or always, or almost always, scored 155 on average in 2024. Students who never or hardly ever participated in those activities scored 148 on average.
The difference between these groups is descriptive. It does not establish that inquiry activities alone caused the score difference. Students’ experiences and scores can reflect many factors, and the supplied results do not provide a causal analysis. The figures do show that frequent inquiry participation and higher average NAEP scores appeared together in the 2024 data.
Reported access to some classroom resources also changed between 2019 and 2024. The share of eighth-graders whose teachers said science textbooks or science magazines and books were not at all available was 7 percentage points higher in 2024 than in 2019. The share whose teachers reported that computers for teachers’ use were available to a large extent was 6 percentage points higher in 2024. The corresponding share for science kits available to a large extent was 8 percentage points higher.
These resource measures describe teacher reports, not a complete inventory of every learning material a child may use. They also cover availability, not how often a resource was used or how effective a particular activity was. Still, they help place achievement results in a classroom context: science learning includes opportunities to investigate, access information, use technology, and work with materials.
Interest and enjoyment in science
In 2024, 28 percent of eighth-graders reported a high level of interest and enjoyment in science, according to NAEP Science opportunities in education. That high-interest share was 10 percentage points lower than in 2019. Thirty-nine percent reported a moderate level, and 33 percent reported a low level.
Average science scores differed across these reported interest-and-enjoyment levels. Students with a high index scored 158 on average in 2024. Students with a moderate index scored 153, while students with a low index scored 142.
| Reported interest and enjoyment | Share of eighth-graders in 2024 | Average science score |
|---|---|---|
| High | 28% | 158 |
| Moderate | 39% | 153 |
| Low | 33% | 142 |
The pattern is a relationship in the assessment data, not proof that enjoyment determines achievement. It does suggest that children’s attitudes toward science belong in discussions about learning. A student can be interested without having the highest score, and a score does not fully capture curiosity, persistence, or the many ways a child engages with scientific questions.
Confidence and scientific reasoning
Confidence in science knowledge and skills was also measured through student reports. In 2024, 28 percent of eighth-graders reported a high level of confidence, 44 percent reported a moderate level, and 27 percent reported a low level. The high-confidence share was 5 percentage points lower than in 2019.
Students with a high confidence index scored 168 on average. The average was 150 for students with a moderate confidence index and 134 for students with a low confidence index. As with interest, these are associated results from the NAEP data rather than an experiment showing that confidence by itself produces a particular score.
One NAEP science opportunity measure focused on a specific reasoning situation: describing what would happen to frogs in a pond if all the insects were removed. Higher-performing eighth-graders reported that they probably could or definitely could describe what would happen at an 84 percent rate. Lower-performing eighth-graders reported the same confidence at a 28 percent rate. The contrast links confidence with performance groups for this particular question; it is not a general estimate of every student’s ability to reason about ecosystems.
TIMSS results for elementary and middle school
TIMSS 2023 U.S. Results provide additional context for children at two grade levels. Among U.S. fourth-graders, 15 percent reached the TIMSS Advanced science benchmark in 2023. The corresponding Advanced rate was 19 percent in 1995. In 2023, 46 percent reached the High benchmark and 75 percent reached the Intermediate benchmark.
For U.S. eighth-graders, the 2023 science score at the 10th percentile was 385, compared with 419 in 2003. At the 25th percentile, the 2023 score was 449, compared with 474 in 2003. At the upper end, the 90th-percentile score was 634 in 2023, compared with 623 in 2007 and 625 in 2011. These comparisons cover different reference years, so each should be read exactly as reported rather than combined into one trend line.
The 2023 eighth-grade results also differed across reported racial and ethnic groups. Asian students scored 584 in science, White students scored 545, students who reported two or more races scored 526, Hispanic students scored 482, and Black students scored 466. The supplied TIMSS results also report a 2023 average science score of 532 for U.S. fourth-graders. Among fourth-graders, Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander students scored 478 and American Indian/Alaska Native students scored 517.
These group results are assessment averages for the named populations and years. They should not be used to predict an individual child’s ability or interests. Read together with the NAEP measures of inquiry, interest, and confidence, they show that kids science statistics can describe several connected but distinct parts of learning: achievement, classroom experience, attitudes, and the distribution of results across students.