In states across the U.S., many boys are struggling in the K-12 education system, and much attention is being drawn to the subject. Many of the modern discussions and solutions are presented in Boys, A Rescue Plan.
While boys are certainly faring worse in K-12 education, it’s important to recognize that the majority of boys and girls are failing to meet basic requirements in reading and math.1
On average, only 27% of boys and 38% of girls in 8th grade scored proficient or advanced in Reading from 1992-2024.
On average, 30% of boys and 28% of girls in 8th grade scored proficient or advanced in Math from 1990-2024.
On average, only 30% of boys and 36% of girls in 4th grade scored proficient or advanced in Reading from 1992-2024.
On average, 36% of boys and 31% of girls in 4th grade scored proficient or advanced in Math from 1990-2024.
For boys, a maturity argument is often used to explain poorer reading outcomes and other school problems, such as a higher percentage of suspension and lower grades. Delayed kindergarten—redshirting—has been recommended as a way to help offset developmental lags. Some boys certainly benefit by starting school a bit later—as do some girls. As a blanket policy, though, the maturity argument cannot explain the broader educational challenges that impact boys and girls.
By eighth grade, roughly 65% of girls and 75% of boys are not proficient in reading, and about 75% of girls and 72% of boys are not proficient in math. If male maturity were the primary issue, one would not expect girls’ proficiencies to be so low. As the figures below from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) will show, reading scores for both boys and girls have remained largely flat for at least three decades in 4th and 8th grades.
As the figures below will show, boys’ fourth grade math proficiency was slightly higher than girls’ fourth-grade math proficiency. By eighth grade, NAEP results show that boys’ and girls’ proficiency is nearly identical. The outcomes, though, are not the result of girls catching up to boys. The outcomes reveal that both boys’ and girls’ proficiency declined from fourth grade to eighth grade.2
The idea that boys mature later is a familiar one. The maturity argument does not mean boys learn less well. That partially true claim has hardened into a habit of mind, practiced in schools, policy, and even therapy. The maturity framework can too easily lean toward the idea that boys are inherently defective. “They have too much energy!” “They can’t sit still!” Maturity is not a light switch on a timer, clicking on and off on command. For the young mind, maturity seems great on one day and then slips the next.
On average, boys lean toward propulsive, object-control play; girls lean toward fine-motor and group-centered play. This observation is a tendency, not a hard-and-fast rule. That is a reason you may see some boys who enjoy group-centered play and some girls who enjoy object-control play. Both, however, need to move. Parents, educators, and policymakers who understand that there are different ways to teach boys and different ways to teach girls—with occasional crossover—can help our children flourish. They can shape homes, lesson plans, curricula, and policy that treat maturity as a living process connected to unique natures that need nurturing, not simply a destination.
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The following averages were determined by adding the percentages of each year and dividing by the total number of years. For a broader understanding, line graphs are provided to show the scores over time. Equally important, NAEP did not allow testing accommodations before 1996. From 2002 on, testing accommodations were allowed.
The fourth-grade and eighth-grade scores do not come from the same cohort of test-takers. They are snapshots of how large a share of fourth-grade and eighth grade students meet or do not meet proficiency standards.