New education scorecard analysis describes a “reading recession,” reporting that only five states plus the District of Columbia showed meaningful growth in reading test scores from 2022 to 2025. Researchers analyzed third- through eighth-grade reading outcomes across 5,000 districts in 38 states, comparing growth patterns and trends across time. The story reports that nationally, students remain nearly half a grade level behind pre-pandemic reading benchmarks, with reading decline patterns starting years earlier than COVID-era disruptions. Math outcomes show more improvement than reading, with progress linked in part to shifts toward phonics-based instruction and additional targeted supports. For higher education stakeholders, the impact is indirect but consequential: persistent reading deficits increase the remediation load for incoming college students and worsen gaps in academic preparedness that drive retention and completion outcomes. The findings underscore that foundational literacy remediation and tutoring systems will remain critical upstream of higher education access and success metrics.