A significant portion of college-bound high school seniors are reportedly entering higher education without college-level reading skills, prompting widespread concern among professors and educational bodies. According to a recent discussion initiated by Karen Vaites on social media, referencing a 2024 investigation by The Chronicle of Higher Education, "Thirty-two percent of 12th graders now score below NAEP Basic in reading," yet "more than half of these same seniors reported being accepted to a four-year college." This stark disconnect highlights a growing challenge within the academic landscape, with 12th-grade reading scores reaching historic lows by late 2025.
College professors across various institutions are observing a measurable decline in students' sustained reading and writing capabilities. Karen Vaites shared an anecdote: "Six weeks into the term, I assigned my rhetoric and writing students a 20-page article... Not one student finished it." This sentiment is echoed by Adam Kotsko of the Shimer Great Books School at North Central College, who noted in a February 2024 Slate article that students now seem "intimidated by anything over 10 pages."
The problem extends beyond anecdotal observations, with national data corroborating these concerns. The 2011 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) writing assessment revealed that only 24 percent of 12th graders reached the Proficient level. Furthermore, the NAEP’s “Nation’s Report Card” indicated by late 2025 that 12th-grade reading scores had decreased by three points since 2019, marking a 10-point drop compared to the 1992 assessment and setting a historic low.
Professors like Nicholaus Gutierrez at Wellesley College have adapted by cutting reading assignments, finding that "a 750-word essay now strikes many students as long." Similarly, Theresa MacPhail at Stevens Institute of Technology described feeling "like a cruise director organizing games of shuffleboard" due to the need to meet students at their current skill level. Experts suggest this issue is "not a matter of laziness on the part of the students" but rather a lack of foundational skills they were never given the opportunity to build.
The implications of admitting students who are not academically prepared are profound, leading to what some describe as an "improvisation and exhaustion" response from the academy rather than a necessary "structural overhaul." Educational institutions face the challenge of addressing these skill gaps while maintaining academic standards and ensuring students are adequately prepared for the rigors of college-level work.
