N.J. schools rank among worst in U.S. in key area as kids recover from ‘COVID slide’

New Jersey is usually ranked among the best in the nation for public education.

But a new report says the state is struggling when it comes to students recovering from learning loss caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

New Jersey ranked 43rd in the nation when it came to students improving their math scores between 2019 and 2024, according to the Education Recovery Scorecard released last week. The report, conducted by researchers from Harvard and Stanford universities, used test scores to measure how well students in grades 3 to 8 regained academic skills lost when schools were disrupted during the pandemic.