US education data in freefall as agencies face massive budget cuts

The data drought

Real talk: if you’re wondering why your younger siblings seem lost in the current education system, you’re not alone—and the government just made it way harder to find answers. Math and reading scores across the U.S. have hit their lowest point in 25 years. But instead of doubling down on research, the Trump administration took a wrecking ball to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES).

This agency was the gold standard for tracking everything from student debt to school safety. Last year, the Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) stepped in and axed nearly $900 million in contracts. The result? The NCES staff was slashed from roughly 100 people down to just four. They’ve since hired a few back, currently sitting at 12, but the agency is lowkey a shell of its former self.

Why the cuts hit different

The most chaotic part is that they didn’t just trim the fat; they nuked longitudinal studies—the research that tracks students over years to see what actually works. One big loss is the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study (ECLS). This study was supposed to track kids born after Covid to see how the pandemic messed with their development. Now? We’ll never have that intel. The project was mid-flow when the $47 million contract was cut, essentially ghosting researchers halfway through.

Experts are highkey spiraling because this feels like "shooting the messenger." As Carolyn Grim, a former NCES statistician, put it: firing your data team to 'control spending' is like firing your accountant because you don't like looking at your bank statement. It’s not exactly giving strategic genius.

The fallout

It’s not just about the loss of knowledge; it’s a massive waste of taxpayer money. Millions were already spent setting up these studies, recruiting families, and prepping infrastructure. Paying termination fees to contractors just to kill the project? The vibes are off, and a lot of money went down the drain for nothing.

Advocacy groups aren't just sitting there, though. Several lawsuits have been filed to challenge the staffing and funding cuts. The pressure is actually working—some collections, like the national postsecondary student aid survey, have been reinstated.

Why it matters

When you don't have objective data, you can't fix broken policies. If we don't know why literacy is dropping or how students are struggling to pay for college, we’re essentially flying blind. Without this data, school districts are just guessing, and when it comes to the future of education, guessing is an L.