Why America's Struggling Schools Keep Falling Further Behind
Struggling schools across the country have faced worsening academic declines since 2019, with sharp drops in maths and reading proficiency. New data reveals that the lowest-performing institutions saw steeper falls than others, even as federal funding for improvement rose. Yet many of these schools still lack the resources or plans needed to turn things around.
Between the 2019-20 and 2022-23 school years, the weakest schools experienced a 23% drop in maths proficiency and an 11% decline in reading. This compares to 13% and 7% for other schools. The declines come after decades of underinvestment in high-poverty areas, where neglect has deepened academic struggles.
Federal support did increase under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), passed in 2015. Schools labelled as needing 'comprehensive support and improvement' (CSI) received extra Title I funds, with allocations rising from £1.3 billion in 2018 to nearly £2 billion by 2023. These schools got 20-50% more per pupil than others, though most funds went to urban and low-income districts. Still, many struggling schools never saw additional money to carry out turnaround plans.
Research shows that a 5% rise in student poverty raises the risk of a school being flagged as low-performing by 42%. Larger schools, however, are 46% less likely to be identified than smaller ones. Suburban schools also face 24% lower odds of being labelled as seriously struggling, even after accounting for other factors. Class sizes matter too—a jump of five students per teacher increases the chance of a school being marked as low-performing by 2%.
The few schools that did improve often focused on school culture, teacher collaboration, and using student data to shape lessons. Successful turnaround strategies included gaining staff support for major changes, setting high expectations, and regularly adjusting teaching based on performance.
Despite extra funding for some, many low-performing schools still operate without adequate resources or effective improvement plans. Fewer than half of district proposals for the bottom 5% of schools meet even the basic federal standards. The gap between struggling institutions and others continues to widen, with poverty and long-term neglect remaining key factors in academic decline.
