US Education Data Collection Shrinks Amid Budget Cuts
Federal data collection efforts used to monitor student achievement and the state of education in the United States have been significantly scaled back following budget and staffing cuts. With maths and reading results at their lowest levels in 25 years, the cuts have prompted debate over their potential impact on education research and policymaking.
One of the institutions most affected is the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), part of the US Department of Education. For decades, the centre has collected data on student achievement, school conditions and higher education. Its National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), widely known as “The Nation’s Report Card”, measures student performance in maths, reading, science and other subjects.
Following staffing cuts and contract cancellations at the Department of Education under the Trump administration, the number of NCES employees fell from around 100 to four. After some employees were rehired, staffing rose to 12 in 2026.
The cuts have also affected studies that track students’ education over several years. Among them is the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study (ECLS), which follows children’s development from kindergarten through later primary school years. The cancellation of a contract worth approximately $47 million prevented the study’s next phase from proceeding.
Education researchers warn that reduced data collection capacity could make it harder to track changes in student achievement and assess the outcomes of education policies. The Department of Education, however, says NCES and the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) will continue to produce useful, high-quality statistics for educators, researchers and policymakers.