Young students are still struggling to bounce back academically from the pandemic, even though many were babies at the time. In new data from research and testing company NWEA, first and second graders are scoring below kids pre-pandemic in math and reading. Math scores have risen a little each year. Reading scores have stayed flat. Researchers say the problem looks bigger than impacts from the pandemic. They point to emerging data that suggest parents are reading less to kids. Some districts say stronger phonics lessons and frequent check-ins help reading recover. And some states are expanding pre-K to boost early literacy.

U.S. births slightly decreased in 2025. That's according to new provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It reports just over 3.6 million births, about 24,000 fewer than in 2024. This decline aligns with expert predictions that the 2024 increase wouldn't start an upward trend. The CDC updated its data last week, covering nearly all of the babies born in 2025. Final numbers may add only a few thousand more. Despite efforts to encourage births, like expanding in vitro fertilization access, the fertility rate has been declining. Economic conditions and uncertainty continue to impact childbearing decisions.