Alabama students showed progress in reading and math during the 2024–25 school year, according to preliminary data shared at the Alabama State Board of Education’s July work session. The gains were visible in early-grade reading, though math scores remained flat at the proficiency level, and middle school results were mixed.
State Superintendent Eric Mackey told board members that the number of students scoring in Level 1, the lowest achievement category, declined in every tested grade for English Language Arts.
In second grade, Level 1 students dropped by one percentage point. Fourth grade saw a three-point drop. Declines were seen across most grades for students in Level 2, which indicates performance below proficiency. At the same time, the percentage of students considered proficient, those scoring in Levels 3 or 4, increased in every grade.
“These students in Level 1 are probably all seeing a math interventionist or reading specialist, and that extra help is making a difference. What y’all are doing, investing in high-quality instructional materials and professional development, is working,” said Mackey.
Math results, however, were more complicated. The number of students in Level 1 declined across almost all grades, indicating progress among the lowest-performing students.
Seventh-grade math scores showed greater fluctuation. In seventh grade, students falling into Level 1 decreased, and a higher percentage of seventh-grade students are in Level 2. Seventh-grade student math proficiency remained the same between 2024 and 2025 at 19 percent.
Mackey noted that many higher-performing eighth-grade students are taking Algebra I courses, which is not aligned with the eighth-grade assessment. While federal law requires that all students take the same test, Mackey said that alignment issues may explain why some students underperform on the eighth-grade test despite more advanced coursework.
Board members also asked about the longer-term trajectory of student performance. Mackey explained that it is difficult to make comparisons going back before 2021, due to inconsistent testing. Before that year, Alabama cycled through several assessments followed by a missed year of testing in 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The current assessment, the Alabama Comprehensive Assessment Program, was first administered in 2021, and has since been aligned to updated academic standards.
“We finally got the point, we’re not changing tests,” Mackey said. “We need consistency to measure where our students really are.”
Science scores, while not used for school accountability ratings, also showed modest gains. Science is tested in grades 4, 6, and 8 and primarily functions as a measure of content-area reading. Growth in science was attributed not only to improvements in science instruction but also to better reading comprehension in technical and content-rich texts.
The number of English learners in Alabama public schools continues to rise, increasing from about 41,000 students in 2022 to nearly 51,000 in 2025. Mackey said the work of teachers in these classrooms is especially challenging, as they must teach reading and writing in English alongside core academic content. Most students take several years to reach proficiency.
“This is true proficiency with the English language,” he said. “They’re not just ordering food at a restaurant, they’re learning to read and write academically in English.”
District-level and school-level performance data will be released in early August after local school systems complete their data verification process. Mackey said that while individual districts may report small changes, the statewide trends are unlikely to shift significantly.
“Overall, the story is more positive than negative,” he said. “It’s not all good news, but this tells us that what we’re doing is working. And we’re moving in the right direction.”
