Can Head Start Turn Around Falling NAEP Math and Reading Scores? What the Evidence Shows

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Can Head Start Turn Around Falling NAEP Math and Reading Scores? What the Evidence Shows

The K-12 education system across the United States is facing severe headwinds. According to the latest data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 4th and 8th-grade reading and math scores remain well below pre-pandemic baselines, while chronic absenteeism affects over 27% of public school students. Furthermore, nearly a third of public school students ended recent academic years behind grade level in at least one subject.

How do we reverse these trends? The solution begins long before a child steps into a kindergarten classroom.

In our September 2025 publication, Head Start’s Footprint: Children’s Learning and Education, the Children’s Equity Project (CEP) synthesizes decades of peer-reviewed literature showing how Head Start builds the cognitive, academic, and socio-emotional foundation children need to thrive throughout K-12 and beyond.

Key Academic Outcomes Highlighted in CEP’s Report

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1. Language and Early Literacy Development

Head Start programs target the "Big Five" early literacy components: background knowledge, oral language/vocabulary, book concepts, alphabet knowledge, and phonological awareness.

Research confirms that preschoolers enrolled in Head Start, even for just one program year, make substantial gains in receptive/expressive vocabulary and print knowledge compared to peers in informal care. These gains are especially pronounced for Dual Language Learners (DLLs), Black and Latine students, and children entering with lower baseline scores.

2. Mathematical Reasoning and Science Inquiry

Early math ability is one of the strongest predictors of later academic performance. CEP’s review demonstrates that Head Start participants show higher numerical fluency, counting ability, and spatial reasoning skills. Crucially, longitudinal studies show that students who attended Head Start maintain higher math scores through 8th grade compared to non-attending peers in poverty.

3. "Approaches to Learning" and Attention Focus

Entering kindergarten ready to learn involves more than knowing letters and numbers. Head Start nurtures "Approaches to Learning" skills such as curiosity, task persistence, emotional regulation, and impulse control. Studies indicate that high classroom quality in Head Start fosters these behaviors, directly predicting higher elementary school performance in math and science.

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The Community and K-12 Relief

When early childhood programs are underfunded or inaccessible, the K-12 system bears the cost. K-12 teachers are already navigating severe staffing shortages, uncertified teaching placements, and expiring federal pandemic funding.

Depriving children of Head Start opportunities increases the proportion of students entering kindergarten with unaddressed developmental delays, elevated behavioral stress, and academic gaps, putting additional strain on an already overburdened public school infrastructure.

What Policy Leaders Must Do

To address falling national academic scores and persistent opportunity gaps, federal and state policymakers must preserve and expand access to Head Start. Investing in early learning yields return-on-investment (ROI) rates ranging between $4 and $10 for every dollar spent, driven by lower spending on special education, reduced grade retention, higher college enrollment, and increased adult earnings.

Learn More Head Start Policy

The Children's Equity Project's report, Head Start's Footprint: Children's Learning and Education, explores Head Start’s educational reach and impact. We review major tenets in Head Start policy that shape its focus on education, and synthesize the research on the impacts of Head Start on children’s pre-academic and long-term academic success, and the benefits communities see from ensuring all income-eligible children in their communities can access Head Start. We also review research from other countries that document the detriment to communities, schools, and all students when children who live in communities are excluded from education, including early education like Head Start, due to immigration documentation. We also explore research on the impact of administrative burden, particularly on families experiencing homelessness, families of children with disabilities, and children involved in the child welfare system, among others. 

Read the Full Report

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