On Tuesday, we discussed the urgent need to address the state of education both nationally and in Wyoming. The numbers don’t lie—two-thirds of fourth and eighth graders in the U.S. are not proficient in reading or math, and if current trends continue, 84 million children and youth will be out of school by 2030. That’s a crisis, not just for education, but for the future of our workforce and economy.
On the upside however, it appears Wyoming may be standing out above the rest.
The Wyoming Department of Education (WDE) has released the state’s 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) results, also known as the Nation’s Report Card. Wyoming’s 4th and 8th graders continued to perform above the national average in Reading and Mathematics, holding steady with 2022 scores and outperforming national trends, which saw declines in Reading.
“I’m proud of our students and educators for their hard work. Wyoming continues to stand out nationally, demonstrating resilience and dedication in the classroom. Maintaining our strong performance while other states struggle is a testament to that commitment. Still, I know we can do better. My responsibility is to ensure every student in Wyoming has the tools to succeed, and we will continue to push for excellence. The work doesn’t stop here,” said State Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder.
Wyoming’s 2024 results continue to show strong performance by some of our state’s most at-risk students. Students who are Hispanic, in special education, utilize the free and reduced lunch program, and children in rural areas outperform their peers nationally in grade 4 and 8 Mathematics and grade 4 Reading. For example, special education students in grade four Reading scored 189 points and outperformed the national average of 179 points. Results from the tests can be found on the WDE website.
WY We Care: Your Wyoming Chamber of Commerce is dedicated to working to improve the state of education for Wyoming youth. Through partnership and work with local businesses and policy makers, we hope to create an environment that prepares our future workforce to effectively tackle the issues of tomorrow.
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