Pandemic learning loss could cost students thousands in income over their lifetime: study

Students enrolled in schools during the pandemic could face a lifetime of lower earnings as a result of learning loss during the pandemic, erasing gains made since 2000.

The study, entitled "The Economic Cost of the Pandemic," analyzed National Assessment of Educational Progress data and found that between 2019 and 2022, test scores in math and English dropped an average of eight points across the country. The drastic drop came after nearly two decades of progress, the study noted, erasing all the gains in test scores made between 2000 and 2019. Michael Lee is a writer at Fox News. Follow him on Twitter @UAMichaelLee

Hanushek notes that while most policymakers and the media have focused solely on the pandemic's impact on test scores, the loss in student achievements could have severe economic repercussions. According to the study, students enrolled in schools during pandemic restrictions will face an average of a two to nine percent drop in lifetime earnings, resulting in states facing a 0.6 to 2.9 percent drop in total GDP.