The high school class of 2026 averaged 1,045 on the SAT, up 16 points from the previous year, with increases in both sections and across every demographic group. It is the second straight year of gains, which the College Board called a sign of continued recovery from pandemic-era declines, and about 42% of test-takers met the college and career readiness benchmarks. The scores come from the shorter digital SAT introduced in 2024, which runs just over two hours and uses much shorter reading passages. Fewer students took the exam, though, with participation falling 2.5% to 1.95 million in the first decline since 2021, and 90% of U.S. colleges remain test-optional for the class of 2027.

An American Enterprise Institute analysis of 45 states found the national chronic absenteeism rate fell less than a point last year, to 22.6%, down from 28.3% in 2022. Iowa cut its rate from 21.6% to 15.8% after requiring schools to meet with families once a student's absences pass 15% of a grading period. Rhode Island, now close to pre-pandemic levels, tracks attendance daily and publishes a public leaderboard of schools and districts, which its education commissioner said "has made all the difference." The 18 states that pledged to cut absenteeism in half within five years are also improving faster than the rest, suggesting that states acting on attendance data quickly can still make large gains.

A Learning Heroes survey of nearly 2,000 parents found 83% believe their child is at or above grade level in math, down from 92% in 2022, and 88% believe the same in reading, down from 93%. Fewer than 75% now say their child earns B's or better, compared with more than 80% before. Researchers point to more public discussion of grade inflation and lenient practices such as "no zero" policies. Gaps remain, though: only 30% of parents are "extremely confident" they know what their child should master in each subject, and schools are urged to communicate early and often and explain data in family-friendly language.

University of Southern California researchers surveyed teens in October 2025 and May 2026 and found fewer said phone restrictions hurt their relationships with teachers by the end of the year. Enforcement weakened over the same period, with 44% of teens saying teachers grew more lenient and in-class phone use rising from 28% to 42%. Use rose 10 points in schools with bell-to-bell bans and 18 points in schools with partial restrictions, likely because an all-day rule is simpler for teachers to enforce. With 39 states and Washington, D.C., now requiring restrictions, the findings suggest full-day policies work better as long as schools keep enforcing them.

Nearly 4,000 Texas elementary students were placed in Disciplinary Alternative Education Programs in 2022-23, some as young as 6. Districts can send students there for infractions such as defiance, poor attendance, or dress code violations. State law only bars placements for children 5 and younger, and a 2025 law made it easier for districts to remove disruptive students. Once there, students typically must stay silent while working through lessons that are often computer-based. Experts warn that young children can't learn to change their behavior in that kind of setting, and that being removed from their regular school leads to missed foundational skills and lost trust in educators.

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