Long the Star Pupils, Girls Are Losing Ground to Boys

Girls have lost ground in reading, math and science at a troubling rate, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis of student test scores across the country.

- BY MATT BARNUM

Since 2019, girls’ test scores have dropped sharply, often to the lowest point in decades. Boys’ scores have also fallen during that time, but the decline among girls has been more severe. Boys now consistently outperform girls in math, after being roughly even or slightly ahead in the years before 2020. Girls still tend to perform better in reading, but their scores have dropped closer to boys.

The findings suggest that pandemic learning loss hit girls particularly hard in ways that haven’t been addressed by schools. The most recent test scores show that girls haven’t yet recovered. This follows longstanding gains for girls and women in educational attainment.

Teachers, parents and education researchers aren’t sure what is driving the gender gap in learning loss, but some suspect the rise in behavior problems during the pandemic years prompted teachers to pay more attention to boys, who tend to act out more in class.

Another factor may be the caregiving and household responsibilities many girls took on during and after the pandemic, sapping their time and energy for school.

Long-term effects