New York's early 2025-26 state test results show a sharp drop in reading scores for students in grades 3 through 8. Some testing experts say the drop is so big that it raises questions about the tests, not just about how much students learned.
The New York State Education Department released the preliminary data. Chalkbeat reported it came out Friday. The data showed that 48 percent of students statewide were proficient in reading. That is down about 5 percentage points from the year before. Math proficiency was 57 percent, a small gain. Science proficiency in grades 5 and 8 was 47 percent. The department said the results are preliminary until districts review and verify them.
The City Reporter, republishing Chalkbeat, reported on August 6, 2026 that the statewide reading drop was unusual. Statewide, fifth grade reading fell about 14 points. That was the largest drop of any grade.
On August 7, 2026, Chalkbeat reported on New York City. The city enrolls nearly 40 percent of the state's public school students. About half of city students in grades 3 through 8 were proficient in reading, a drop of 6 points. City math scores were flat at 57 percent. The reading drops were steepest in the early grades. Chalkbeat reported that city third graders fell nearly 14 points, fourth graders fell nearly 6 points, and fifth graders fell 13 points.
These numbers stand out because scores had moved the other way the year before. In New York City, Chalkbeat reported that this year's 6-point reading drop nearly erases a 7-point rise the year before. Statewide, fifth grade reading had soared 13 points the year before, then fell about 14 points this year. City officials had pointed to last year's rise as proof that the new reading programs were working. This year's reversal makes that claim harder to judge.
The drop comes as schools change how they teach reading. Chalkbeat reported that New York City is in its fourth year of a big change to reading lessons. Elementary schools must use approved lesson plans that officials say match the science of reading. That is a body of evidence about how children learn to read. Both Chalkbeat and The City Reporter noted that many things shape test scores. Scores alone cannot prove whether one policy is working.
Several experts told Chalkbeat that the swings are unusual. "Data doesn't usually look like that," said Emily Oster, an economics professor at Brown University who has studied test results. "Those are pretty big year-on-year swings." Aaron Pallas, a professor at Teachers College, said the pattern makes him worry about "something unusual in the 2024 test and how it was scored." He added that without the 2024 data, "we'd say things are pretty stable." The City Reporter noted that in 2024 the state lowered the number of questions students needed to answer correctly to be marked proficient. State officials said that change was standard and did not make the test easier. Andrew Ho, a Harvard professor who is paid to advise the state on its tests, said "the safe bet is that there was a real gain and a real decline." He said neither may be as big as the numbers imply.
Officials said they are taking the results seriously. "School leaders across New York City are seeing dramatic swings in literacy proficiency reflected in this year's state assessment results," schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels said in a statement. He called for careful, rigorous analysis. State spokesperson JP O'Hare said the department "will not minimize or attempt to explain away what the data tell us." He added, "When scores increase, we report that progress. When they decline, we report that as well." The advocacy group EdTrust-New York called for an independent audit of the last three years of state testing data.
The state education department said it will release all final state assessment data in early November. Chalkbeat reported that Mayor Zohran Mamdani has vowed to continue the reading and math overhauls. It also reported that in May he announced plans to expand the math curriculum rule into elementary schools.