American education has been throwing up some warning flags and honestly the math and reading scores don’t leave much to imagination. International tests show the United States slipping behind in math and only hovering around the middle in reading. National assessments show fourth and eighth graders losing ground, and high school seniors posting their lowest reading performance in over thirty years. Colleges are even reteaching middle school math because so many freshmen can’t place into college level courses.
It raises a big question. If teenagers are struggling, when did the real slide begin? The research keeps pointing back to the earliest years of learning.
What the Latest Studies Say About Early Learning
Researchers at Harvard, Stanford, NWEA, and large national data systems have tracked students for decades. Their message is steady.
Harvard Graduate School of Education
- Followed children from preschool through high school.
- Found that early literacy, early math, and self-regulation taught well in preschool predict stronger grades all the way into high school.
Harvard Center on the Developing Child
- Shows that birth to age eight is the brain’s strongest window for building language, reading skills, counting, number sense, and executive-function abilities.
- Skills learned early stick. Skills missed early require far more intervention later.
Harvard and Stanford Education Recovery Scorecard
- Analyzed learning after the pandemic.
- Students nationwide recovered only about 30 percent of math losses and 25 percent of reading losses by 2024.
- Many districts remain nearly half a grade level behind in both subjects.
Stanford Multi-State Head Start Study (2023)
- 336 preschoolers studied across multiple states.
- Children who attended more in-person preschool showed stronger early reading, math, and executive-function skills.
- Demonstrates preschool isn’t babysitting. It’s academic protection.
NWEA “Mind the Kinder-Gap”
- Tracked kindergarten entry skills from 2010 to 2017.
- Found that children who enter kindergarten strong in early reading and math are far more likely to be proficient in third grade.
Early Childhood Meta-Analysis (2017)
- Reviewed dozens of preschool programs.
- Found that strong early education consistently improves language, literacy, numeracy, social skills, and reduces special-education referrals.
All roads point to one truth.
If we don’t build foundational reading and math skills early, the gap doesn’t close later. It widens.
National Statistics: Where the U.S. Stands in 2024–2025
High School Seniors (12th Grade)
- Only 35 percent of students score proficient in reading.
- Just 22 percent score proficient in math.
- About 45 percent of seniors score below basic in math.
- Many colleges report increasing numbers of freshmen needing remedial math that covers grades 1–8 material.
These are the lowest outcomes recorded in decades.
Fourth and Eighth Grade (Nation’s Report Card)
- Fourth grade: about 30 percent proficient in reading and 39 percent in math.
- Eighth grade: scores continue to decline, with large gaps between high- and low-performing students.
Preschool and Kindergarten Readiness
- Only 47 percent of American 3- and 4-year-olds attend preschool.
- Many arrive in kindergarten without essential early reading skills, vocabulary, number sense, or self-regulation.
We are not losing children in high school.
We are losing them in the early grades.
Tennessee’s Picture (So Our Families See Their State Clearly)
Tennessee has worked hard these last several years and has outpaced many states. But the state still faces real challenges.
Kindergarten Readiness
- About 50 percent of Tennessee children enter kindergarten below readiness benchmarks.
- Only about 40 percent arrive within the expected range for early literacy and early numeracy.
Tennessee NAEP Performance
- Fourth grade reading: about 32 percent proficient, ranking roughly 23rd nationally.
- Eighth grade reading: ranks around 20th.
- Fourth grade math: ranks around 12th, reflecting strong gains.
- Eighth grade math: ranks around 19th.
Recovery After 2020
- Tennessee ranks third nationwide for math recovery and ninth for reading recovery.
- Even with improvement, students still sit about a third of a grade behind pre-pandemic levels.
Tennessee is rising. But like the rest of the nation, the biggest cracks show up in the early years.
Why Hidden Bee Learning Teaches the Way We Teach
Here is where it becomes personal.
We only have your children for a short stretch of their week, and as homeschoolers we know time with them is priceless. That’s why we make every minute matter. Our learning is joyful, hands-on, full of art, nature, movement, creativity and friendships. But it is also intentional.
We focus on:
- Early reading
- Phonemic awareness
- Strong vocabulary
- Listening skills
- Foundational math
- Counting, patterns and number sense
- Social skills
- Emotional regulation
- Group learning and independence
These aren’t extras. These are the core muscles of a successful learner.
The research tells us clearly: children who start strong in early literacy and numeracy are the ones who thrive in third grade, handle middle school confidently, and avoid remedial courses later on.
At Hidden Bee Learning we don’t waste the early window. We teach well, we teach with joy, and we build confidence the whole way.
Early Learning Isn’t Optional. It’s Foundational.
The declines across the country don’t begin in high school. They begin quietly in the early years, when vocabulary, sounds, counting and self-regulation should be solidifying.
Good news is, that’s exactly where we are focused.
Your child’s future doesn’t start in high school. It starts now.
And we’re honored to be part of that beginning.
Tennessee Studies and Data Sources on Early Learning and Academic Performance
Tennessee Department of Education “Tennessee’s Commitment to Early Literacy” (2023) — overview of the state’s strategy including the 2021 Literacy Success Act. Link: https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/education/learning-acceleration/AC_EL_TNCommitmentToEarlyLiteracy-Updated.pdf Tennessee State Government+1
TN Department of Education “Literacy Updates 2024” — details early grades literacy plans, learning loss remediation, early-grade reading. Link: https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/stateboardofeducation/documents/2024-sbe-meetings/august-15%2C-2024-sbe-workshop/8-15-24%20Literacy%20Initiatives%20Update.pdf Tennessee State Government
The Tennessee Early Childhood Education Advocacy Organization (TNEarlyLearning) “Policy Priorities” — calls out that only ~40% of 3rd-graders in Tennessee are proficient in reading & math; emphasizes early literacy & math. Link: https://tnearlylearning.org/policy-priorities/ tnearlylearning.org
National Center for Education Statistics (NAEP) 2022 Reading State Snapshot for Tennessee, Grade 8 — shows 28% of 8th-graders in TN scored proficient or above. Link: https://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/subject/publications/stt2022/pdf/2023010TN8.pdf National Center for Education Statistics
Evaluation of Tennessee Voluntary Pre‑K Program (TN-VPK) — long-term study of the effectiveness of TN’s Pre-K program including outcomes through third grade. Link: https://ies.ed.gov/use-work/awards/evaluating-effectiveness-tennessees-voluntary-pre-k-program ies.ed.gov