Stanford.

It Was Never COVID's Fault — U.S. Students Have Been in a 'Learning Recession' Since 2013

A landmark study by Stanford, Harvard, and Dartmouth researchers released on May 13, 2026, reveals that U.S. student test scores have been declining since 2013 — seven years before the pandemic arrived. Data from 70 million students across 38 states rewrites the story of American education.