Don't know much about History

The article suggests that the pandemic bears responsibility for this. But the decline has been going on much longer.

The results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) released Wednesday show that about 40% of eighth graders scored below the basic level in U.S. history in 2022, compared to 34% in 2018.

• Just 13% of students performed at or above the "proficient" level in U.S. history.
• Eighth graders' average civic scores decreased by 2-points compared to 2018, the NAEP results show. They're comparable to results from 1998, which is the first assessment year for civics under the current framework.
• The civics assessment tests knowledge of aspects of American democracy and the U.S. political system and other topics related to citizenship, per NAEP.

"Far too many of our students are struggling to understand and explain the importance of civic participation, how American government functions, and the historical significance of events," Peggy Carr, commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics, a branch of the Education Department, said in a press release.

Erin Doherty, "U.S. history scores hit stunning lows among 8th graders," AXIOS, May 3, 2023.