About NAEP

Since 1969 the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) has been regularly conducting assessments of samples of the nation's students attending public and private schools at the elementary, junior high, and high school levels. NAEP's goal, since its inception, has been to make available reliable information about the academic performance of American students in various learning areas. To this end, NAEP has produced more than 200 reports in 11 instructional areas.

Teachers, administrators, and researchers from across America have helped propel NAEP into the valuable informational source it is today. As a result, members of the educational community are able to make use of NAEP's findings on students' learning experiences to inform policymakers and to improve students' educational experiences.

NAEP is an indicator of what students know and can do. Only group statistics are reported, no individual student or teacher data are ever released.