Evidence · History and civics
What do American students know about history and civics?
The national record on what eighth graders know about U.S. history and how government works.
The short answer
Eighth graders' U.S. history scores fell 5 points on the national test in 2022, back to where they stood in 1994. Only 13% scored proficient, and civics scores fell for the first time. A child who never learns the country's story has little to measure today's claims against.
History scores fell back to 1994 levels
The National Assessment of Educational Progress tested eighth graders in U.S. history and civics in 2022. History scores were 5 points lower than in 2018, about where they stood in 1994, and they had been falling since 2014. About 40% of students scored below the Basic level, up from 34% in 2018. Just 13% reached Proficient.
Civics fell for the first time
Civics measures what students know about the Constitution, rights and how government works. In 2022 the average civics score fell 2 points from 2018. That was the first decline ever recorded, and it put scores back to about where they were in 1998.
Why this matters for children now
The National Assessment Governing Board, which oversees the test, publishes its own review of these civics and history trends. Knowing history gives a child a way to test what they hear in class, online and in the news. Our essay What They Never Knew looks at what happens when that chain of memory breaks.
What you can do now
- Read real history with your child: biographies, primary documents and narrative histories written for young readers.
- Ask your school which U.S. history and civics courses your child takes, in which grades, and which books the class reads.
- Visit historic sites, courthouses and town meetings together.
- Ask your child to explain a current event in their own words, then look up its history together.
Related
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