Nearly every grade that took Colorado’s standardized tests this spring saw literacy and math test scores rebound or surpass pre-pandemic levels, a further sign that students are recovering academically five years after COVID-19 closed schools.
As with last year’s Colorado Measures of Academic Success scores, fourth- and eighth-graders’ literacy scores continue to lag behind those recorded by students in 2019. Eighth-graders’ math results also haven’t recovered since the pandemic, according to data released by the Colorado Department of Education on Thursday.
Here are Colorado’s top-performing schools on 2025 CMAS tests
Still, metro Denver districts and state education leaders said this week that they are encouraged by the test scores, especially given the improvements students have made in math.
“I would have loved to see (the rebound) happen earlier, but it’s appropriate that it’s happening at the five-year mark,” Denver Public Schools Superintendent Alex Marrero said.
CMAS tests cover English language arts, math and science. The statewide exams are offered to students in third to eighth grades. Pupils who score at least 750 on the exams “met or exceeded expectations,” meaning they are on track to be college- or career-ready.
In literacy, seventh-graders saw the biggest improvement from last year. The percentage of seventh-graders who met or exceeded expectations in English language arts not only surpassed pre-pandemic levels but also rose 2.5 percentage points from 2024 to 48.8%.
“It’s obvious that in-person learning really matters for kids and that personal connection with their teachers makes a difference,” Jeffco Public Schools Superintendent Tracy Dorland said. “It means that our students are learning at higher rates.”
The data released Thursday showed fourth-graders made the most progress in math, with 36.5% of students meeting or exceeding expectations compared to 34.1% last year.
“We do now see that performance is at or above pre-pandemic levels in most grades and subjects,” Colorado Education Commissioner Susana Córdova said. “…We saw enormous declines in mathematics during the pandemic.”
Every grade saw improvement in their math scores except for third-graders, whose results remained mostly flat. Córdova attributed students’ progress in math to schools increasing their focus and resources on the subject after significant declines during the pandemic.
But, she also cautioned, “We are nowhere close to where we need to be.”
The percentage of fourth-graders who showed proficiency in English language arts (42%) stayed flat from last year and was 6 percentage points below where students scored in 2019.
Fourth grade is a transition year for elementary students as children move from learning how to read to applying those skills toward their learning, Córdova said.
More eighth-graders met or exceeded expectations in both English language arts (43.9%) and math (34.7%) than they did last year. But their scores remain below pre-pandemic levels in both subjects.
DPS, the state’s largest district, saw CMAS scores increase or stay flat for almost every grade when compared to 2024 results.
The district’s seventh-graders saw the largest gains from last year, with the percentage of students meeting or exceeding expectations in English language arts jumping 3 percentage points to 45.4%.
“We’ve been very intentional and very thoughtful in how we engaged our school leaders in what we need to do better,” Deputy Superintendent Tony Smith said.
Despite the good news, DPS saw significant drops in the proficiency of students who took the Spanish version of the literacy exam.
Only 18.7% of third-graders and 14.4% of fourth-graders who took the Spanish language arts exam met or exceeded expectations, down 2.1 and 6.7 percentage points, respectively, from last year.
DPS has welcomed thousands of immigrant students in recent years, many whose families crossed the southern U.S. border. Marrero said the new arrivals weren’t included in 2024’s CMAS results, but his efforts to have the state exclude them again this year were unsuccessful.
The students, the superintendent said, faced death and tragedy on their journey to Denver and had their education interrupted before enrolling in the city’s schools.
“These families were recalibrating what life was in society,” he said, of the district’s request to exclude them from testing. “…That’s the humane thing to do.”
DPS Chief of Academics Simone Wright added, “The new arrivals are coming with less educational experience and that is something we are working to upgrade our systems to truly meet students where they are — to ensure that language is not a barrier to success.”
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