State education
District of Columbia
NAEP Grade 4 reading mean scale score · data as of July 21, 2026.
Reading score (2024)
209
Basic
Change since prior NAEP
+2.4 pts
2022 → 2024
vs. U.S. average
-5.8 pts
U.S. score 215 (2024)
NAEP Grade 4 reading since 2013
Mean scale score (0-500). District of Columbia compared with the U.S. national average over the same period. NAEP administered every two years.
Year-by-year
| Year | District of Columbia | U.S. | vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 206 | 222 | -16.2 |
| 2015 | 212 | 223 | -10.2 |
| 2017 | 213 | 222 | -8.5 |
| 2019 | 214 | 221 | -6.2 |
| 2022 | 207 | 218 | -10.7 |
| 2024 | 209 | 215 | -5.8 |
Methodology
Source: NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress), the federal assessment run by NCES (National Center for Education Statistics). NAEP is the only assessment with a single methodology applied across all 50 states, which makes cross-state comparisons defensible.
Subject: Grade 4 reading. Scale: 0-500. NCES achievement bands: Basic 208, Proficient 238, Advanced 268.
"Change since prior NAEP" compares the two most-recent administrations. NAEP runs every two years.