DAYTON, Ohio — We’ve been on the other side of COVID-19 for years now, but the effects of the global pandemic are still being felt as it relates to health, the economy and even education.

What You Need To Know

  • COVID-19's effects are still being felt, even in education

  • There are still gaps in student achievement when compared to pre-pandemic levels

  • The annual report from nonprofit Learn to Earn Dayton lays out where things stand in Montgomery County

The annual report from nonprofit Learn to Earn Dayton for 2023-2024 found that students are still behind pre-pandemic levels in across several categories.

The report looked at various proficiency rates across a set of disciplines for students in Montgomery County.

Here’s what they found:

When it came to Kindergarten readiness, they found that 2024’s rate was 31%. While this is an increase from last year’s 29%, they’re still shy of pre-pandemic’s 38%.

The third grade reading proficiency rate is inching close to pre-pandemic rates, now just a single percentage point shy. Last year’s rate was 63% and this year’s 64%. The pre-pandemic rate was 65%.

Eighth grade math proficiency is a different story with a significant gap between 2024 and prior to COVID-19. The pre-pandemic rate was 59% while 2024’s rate was only 43%.

Interestingly, the high school graduation rate has actually exceeded the pre-pandemic rate of 88% with a rate of 89% in 2024.

Postsecondary enrollment declined from the pre-pandemic level and even from last years rate. The pre-pandemic rate of postsecondary enrollment was 72%. By 2023, that rate was 59%. It fell further in 2024 to 53%.

Postsecondary completion was not quite as significant, though still a decline. The pre-pandemic rate was 38%. The rate in 2024 was 36%.

Chronic absenteeism also remains higher than pre-pandemic levels. This is defined as student who miss 10% or more of school days.

In 2018-2019, so prior to COVID-19, the rate in Montgomery County was 17%. It was 27% in both 2022-2023 and 2023-2024.

Data for these rates came from the Ohio Department of Children and Youth, the Ohio Department of Education and Workforce and the National Student Clearinghouse StudentTracker Demographics Report.

“What you will see in the data demands action,” the report reads. “Together, we can prioritize efforts to close achievement gaps. We can drive outcomes if we address chronic absenteeism, expand access to quality early learning, strengthen early literacy skills, broaden career exploration opportunities, and invest in and value our educators.”