Good morning, if you are interested in doing interview about this, please let me know, and we cab arrange for someone from San Diego Unified to speak with you. Thank you, James
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Media Contacts:
Mike Murad, mmurad@sandi.net, 619-925-4790
James Canning, jcanning@sandi.net, 313-580-2845
SAN DIEGO UNIFIED SCHOOLS OUTPERFORM CALIFORNIA, BIG CITIES ACROSS U.S.
IN READING AND MATH ON NATION'S REPORT CARD
District Scores Among Highest Performing Urban Districts Nationwide
San Diego Unified School District Called "Top Performer" by Council of the Great City Schools
SAN DIEGO (JANUARY 29, 2025) – San Diego Unified School District remains one of the top urban school districts in the country, as shown by results released from the 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), considered the Nation's Report Card.
The report, from the U.S. Department of Education, shows San Diego Unified 4th grade math scores improved since the last evaluation in 2022, while 8th grade math scores and reading scores for 4th and 8th grades remained largely unchanged. Furthermore, although San Diego Unified's reading scores remained flat, they contrast to declining reading scores nationwide.
"These results illustrate the hard work being put in by students each day, and the support they're getting from our district and their families," said Fabi Bagula, Ph.D., San Diego Unified School District Superintendent (Interim). "Our educators do incredible work every day for our students. Their unwavering dedication, expertise, and compassion form the foundation of our shared success. Together, we are making a lasting difference in the lives of our students, and for years we have been among the top urban school districts in the country academically, and all involved should be proud of their efforts to remain so. I couldn't be prouder of progress we have made as a team, but there is more work to be done.
In math, District 4th graders went from 34% NAEP-proficient in 2022 to 41% in 2024; in 8th grade, NAEP proficiency rates changed from 28% to 31%. In reading, district 4th graders went from 37% to 39% NAEP-proficient and 8th graders went from 34% to 37%. The district's results mirror its California state testing results where math increased modestly more than reading.
Raymond C. Hart, Executive Director of the Council of the Great City Schools, reviewed San Diego Unified's NAEP results and singled out many of the highlights.
"San Diego Unified School District continues to be a top performer in all tested areas on NAEP, leading all large cities that participate in the Trial Urban District Assessment (TUDA) program in both fourth and eighth grade reading performance nationally. The district also had the second-highest eighth grade mathematics scores and the sixth highest fourth grade mathematics scores among all large city TUDAs," said Hart.
"Notably, the District's gains in fourth grade mathematics from 2022 to 2024 were greater than the gains made by California, and their scale score in 2024 was significantly better than California in fourth grade mathematics. Between 2022 and 2024, San Diego Unified School district maintained steady performance in all other tested areas, and in three out of the four tested areas, the district's 2024 scores were not significantly different from 2019 pre-pandemic scores. The district's strong performance on NAEP is a testament to the board, administration, and staff remaining steadfast in the pursuit of their goals for improving outcomes for all students in the district."
Source: National Center for Education Statistics
"Large City"—public schools in large cities, population >=250,000
"California"—public schools in the state of California
"National Public"—public schools across the nation
NAEP results are in alignment with the on-going work in the district to develop specific and measurable goals for student achievement. The NAEP results provide an additional indicator of how students are performing in reading and math and also provide opportunities to examine overall performance for key demographic groups, change over time, and comparisons to the nation, states, and urban districts.
NAEP is a congressionally mandated assessment overseen by the U.S. Department of Education. NAEP results are available for the nation, the 50 states plus Puerto Rico and Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) and selected urban districts participating in the Trial Urban District Assessment (TUDA). In 2024, NAEP TUDA had 26 participating districts including San Diego Unified. NAEP proficiency rates are based on NAEP achievement standards which are not aligned to state standards. In addition, NAEP proficiency does not equate to meeting grade-level standards.
The Nation's Report Card, first administered in 1969, is the largest continuing and nationally representative assessment of what our nation's students know and can do in subjects such as mathematics, reading, science, and writing. Standard administration practices are implemented to provide a common measure of student achievement.
To learn more about San Diego Unified's scores, and others in California and across the country, click here.
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James Canning (He/Him)
Executive Director, Strategic Communications & Information
San Diego Unified School District
jcanning@sandi.net | www.sandiegounified.org
Mobile Phone: 313-580-2845
4100 Normal Street, San Diego, CA 92103
Note: I may send and respond to emails outside of my normal workday or workweek. Please do not feel obligated to reply outside of your normal work schedule. Thank you.
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