By Dr. Megan Kuhfeld
Research into the pandemic’s impacts on learning has consistently shown that COVID-19 has been an unequal crisis, disrupting learning more deeply for some student groups than others.
Recently, my colleagues and I at NWEA released new research looking at how girls and boys weathered the pandemic, and the data suggests that girls continue to experience disproportionate setbacks in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) skills—both in the U.S. and globally. This is particularly concerning since these achievement gaps, after decades of effort, were essentially closed prior to the pandemic.
Our study looked at 8th grade scores from three large national assessments: the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), and NWEA’s MAP Growth assessment. Based on this data set, two trends rose to the top:
- The long-standing achievement gap where boys outperformed girls in math and science, which was erased by 2019, reappeared during the pandemic. However, the gap did not appear in reading where girls continue to score higher than boys.
- Among high-achieving students, boys scored significantly higher than girls in both math and science. However, among low-achieving students, boys scored lower than girls.
To look further into the impacts of this resurrected achievement gap, we also examined 8th grade algebra enrollment in 1,300 U.S. schools. Algebra is a gateway course to higher-level mathematics and is considered a predictive marker for future STEM college and career pathways.
Prior to the pandemic, slightly more girls than boys were enrolled in 8th grade Algebra (26% vs. 24%). By 2022, enrollment had dropped for both groups, but the drop was sharper for girls (2.9 percentage-point decrease compared to a 1.4 percentage-point drop for boys). By 2024, boys signing up for Algebra had bounced back to pre-pandemic levels, whereas girls’ enrollment remained two percentage points below 2019 levels.
While the reasons for these setbacks remain unclear, girls were more likely to report emotional challenges, like depression and anxiety, during the pandemic, which may have affected their learning. Notably, the widening gender gaps emerged in 2022 when students were already back to in-person teaching, pointing to school environment factors as potential contributors. One possibility is the rising behavioral issues among boys leading teachers to focus more attention on them in the classroom.
Girls falling behind boys in math and science during the pandemic may surprise educators and parents. In the last few years, many of the concerns around gender differences in school have focused on the ways that boys are struggling more than girls. Girls consistently earn better grades, are more likely to be seen as the teachers’ favorites, and enroll in and graduate from college at much higher rates. Nonetheless, recent drops in girls’ 8th grade test scores and Algebra enrollment among girls suggest potential long-term effects.
Taken together, the results signal that the effects of the pandemic were not felt evenly by boys and girls. There are three primary recommendations from this research. First, it is important to monitor participation in key STEM milestones (e.g. advance course-taking behavior in middle and high school, advanced placement test participation, STEM majors in college) by gender across school years. Second, schools should provide targeted support for students’ academics and wellbeing. Finally, schools should examine classroom dynamics and instructional practices in STEM classes, paying close attention to factors that may be disproportionately favoring boys.
As schools continue to address the challenges left behind by the pandemic, it’s critical that recovery efforts don’t unintentionally reinforce old inequities or create new ones. For girls and STEM, moving forward will require focused attention, targeted support and consistent progress tracking so these impacts don’t become permanent gaps.
Dr. Megan Kuhfeld is the Director of Growth Modeling and Data Analytics for NWEA.