BALTIMORE, Md. (7News) — Students across the D.C. region are showing some of the strongest post-COVID pandemic academic recovery in the country, according to a new national education report released this month.
The 2026 Education Scorecard — compiled by researchers from Harvard University, Stanford University, and Dartmouth College — ranks the District of Columbia number one in the nation for both math and reading recovery between 2022 and 2025.
Maryland also posted some of the strongest gains in the country, ranking third nationally in reading recovery and fifth in math recovery during the same period.
The report tracks academic growth in grades 3 through 8 nationwide and measures how states and school districts are rebounding from steep learning declines caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
In Washington, D.C., education leaders credited the turnaround to major investments in tutoring, literacy programs, teacher training, and attendance initiatives. According to the report, the average D.C. student gained the equivalent of more than half a grade level in math since 2022.
The District also received roughly $600 million in federal pandemic relief funding — one of the highest per-student investments in the nation.
Meanwhile, in Maryland, Gov. Wes Moore called the state’s rankings proof that Maryland is “leading the national comeback in public education.”
State officials also pointed to improvements in chronic absenteeism — one of the biggest educational challenges since the pandemic. Maryland’s chronic absenteeism rate dropped from 31.1% in 2022 to 25.5% in 2025, according to the report.
Several Maryland school systems were highlighted as “districts on the rise,” including Baltimore City, Frederick County, Worcester County, Anne Arundel County, St. Mary’s County, Dorchester County, and Harford County. Researchers cited strong gains in both math and reading performance across those districts.
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The Moore administration credits the progress in part to historic education spending. Maryland’s current K-12 education budget totals roughly $10.1 billion — nearly a 17% increase since Moore took office. Funding has supported community schools, literacy and math coaching, teacher recruitment efforts, tutoring programs, and school construction projects.
Virginia also showed improvement in the latest scorecard after earlier reports showed the Commonwealth lagging behind many states in pandemic learning recovery. State leaders there have pointed to expanded literacy initiatives and attendance efforts aimed at improving student performance.
While Montgomery County and Prince George’s County were not specifically singled out in Maryland’s statewide announcement, both districts have reported improvements in attendance and school performance metrics in recent years.
Still, researchers caution that the recovery remains incomplete.
According to the Education Scorecard, many students across Maryland, Virginia, and D.C. remain academically below pre-pandemic 2019 achievement levels despite recent gains. The report notes recovery has been uneven across districts and student groups.
Nationally, experts say chronic absenteeism, staffing shortages, mental health challenges, and lingering learning gaps continue to affect schools years after classrooms reopened.
The report also described a nationwide “reading recession,” with many states still struggling to regain lost academic ground. Researchers say the next several years will be critical in determining whether states can sustain recovery gains as federal pandemic relief funding expires.
The full Maryland Education Scorecard can be viewed here.
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