The national report card for the US was released in September 2025, and middle school students, specifically 8th graders, scored astonishingly low in Science.
In 2024, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), or as it is widely regarded as, the nation’s report card, conducted an assessment for students in the US. The assessment results were later on released in 2025 and in it science was the worst performing subject for 8th grade students. A science teacher at IMS, Mr. Vizian has agreed in this matter.
“A reason why is that we don’t get the resources that we need, we don’t have labs in class, and we don’t have the structure or ability to conduct hands-on activities. We lack the funding for that,” said Vizian.
Science is the most interactive subject in school. It requires a good understanding of the subject, will, and interest to actually do well. Hands-on activities play a major role in this, as it is generally considered a better way to learn and actually improve. With the lack of funding, the ability to conduct labs in class to promote student learning is gone.
This can also tie in with our generation as Vizian states, “We’re more of a computer based age right now. Back when I was younger, we had to do more inquiring, we had to go get magazines, do more research, go to the library, or read textbooks. Nowadays it’s much easier to get information.”
As Vizian had stated, modern generations now have easy access to information, compared to older generations. Older generations had to research and find the information they required, which, more or less, made it easier to memorize the information, whilst now, a simple sentence in your browser can finish the job. However, technology can also be a distraction, with the easy access to any website you want, it makes it harder for students to concentrate and be interested in the subject. Along with this, students are relying on technology too much compared to earlier generations, forming a big difference between now and then.
The lack of morals and interest also plays a pivotal point in the decline of student grades. The enjoyment of science and curiosity plummeted, and for newer generations it’s more like work you’re forced to do, rather than the vast activities you could be doing. As Steve Jobs had said, “The only way to do great work is to love what you do.”
Graph of students interest before the pandemic (Graph courtesy of Edsource, table by Yuxuan Xie)
“I think parental involvement is a must, parents must be more involved in students’ education, and once that happens, students’ interests may increase and they will improve,” stated Vizian.
Science is a major subject and the decline in student academics may be a huge issue, but as long as students perceive science as an important subject and with the help of parents, students can thrive in school and in life.
