WHATCOM COUNTY, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – New data shows continued stagnations in reading and math skills throughout Whatcom County.

The Education Recovery Scorecard compiled their findings in a new report, which spans testing scores across the country from before, during and after the pandemic.

Testing data was available for all public school districts in Whatcom County except for Bellingham. All districts saw a net decline in average reading and math scores between 2019 and 2024.

Blaine, Nooksack Valley and Meridian all reported math scores at least one full grade below where they should’ve been before the pandemic. Reading comprehension also dropped an entire grade for Blaine and Nooksack Valley.

Despite the grim report, districts are seeing some improvements following the peak of the pandemic. Lynden and Meridian schools saw a slight increase in math scores after 2022.

The Education Recovery Scorecard also tracked chronic absenteeism rates, which was up by double digits across our region. Between 2019 and 2023, Blaine had the highest rate at nearly 25%.