U.S. ICILS Scores, Results and Trends
U.S. eighth-grade performance in computer and information literacy and computational thinking, with the latest ICILS results, international context, and comparable 2018–2023 score changes.
Latest U.S. ICILS Results
U.S. ICILS 2023 Scores Compared With the ICILS Average
Mean scores for U.S. eighth-grade students in the two ICILS domains.
CIL and CT are separate achievement scales. International comparisons should be read within each domain rather than by comparing the two domain scores with each other.
ICILS 2023 U.S. Score Data
| Statistical Comparison | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Computer and Information Literacy (CIL) | 482 | 476 | +6 | Not measurably different |
| Computational Thinking (CT) | 461 | 483 | −22 | U.S. score was lower |
The Latest U.S. Profile Differed Between the Two ICILS Domains
- The U.S. CIL result was numerically above the 2023 ICILS average, but NCES reported that the difference was not measurable under its statistical testing procedure. The result therefore does not support describing U.S. CIL performance as higher than the ICILS average.
- The U.S. CT result followed a different international pattern. Its score was 22 points below the corresponding ICILS average, and NCES reported the U.S. result as lower.
- The CIL and CT score values should not be used to decide which domain U.S. students performed better in. The domains measure different constructs on separately established scales.
U.S. ICILS Scores in 2018 and 2023
Two-cycle comparison for the U.S. CIL and CT scales.
The United States participated in ICILS in 2018 and 2023. Scores are comparable across cycles within CIL and within CT.
NCES ICILS 2018 U.S. Results and NCES ICILS 2023 U.S. Results
| Cycle Comparison | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Computer and Information Literacy (CIL) | 519 | 482 | −37 | Lower in 2023 |
| Computational Thinking (CT) | 498 | 461 | −37 | Lower in 2023 |
Both U.S. ICILS Domains Moved Down Between the Two U.S. Cycles
- CIL and CT each declined by 37 scale-score points between the U.S. administrations in 2018 and 2023. NCES reported both 2023 scores as lower than their 2018 counterparts.
- The parallel numeric changes occurred on two separate scales. They show that the latest U.S. decline was present in both assessed digital-skill domains, but the identical 37-point changes do not make the constructs interchangeable.
- Because the United States has participated in only two ICILS cycles, these results establish a two-cycle change rather than a multi-cycle U.S. trend extending back to ICILS 2013.
What ICILS Measures
Computer and Information Literacy
CIL measures students’ ability to use computers to investigate, create, and communicate in ways that support participation at home, at school, in the workplace, and in society. It is the required achievement domain in ICILS.
Computational Thinking
CT measures students’ ability to recognize problems suited to computational formulation and to evaluate and develop algorithmic solutions. CT is an optional ICILS assessment component, and the United States participated in it in both 2018 and 2023.
The CIL reporting scale was established with the first ICILS cycle in 2013. The CT reporting scale was established when CT was introduced in 2018. Each scale was established with a mean of 500 points and a standard deviation of 100 using equally weighted national samples from participating countries that met the applicable IEA sample-participation requirements. Later cycles are linked to the corresponding reporting scale so CIL can be compared with earlier CIL results and CT can be compared with earlier CT results.
Data Sources, Measurement and Comparability
Official U.S. reporting
- NCES ICILS 2023 U.S. Results — the latest U.S. administration, with results released in November 2024.
- NCES ICILS 2018 U.S. Results — the first U.S. participation in ICILS.
- NCES ICILS 2023 Methodology and Technical Notes — U.S. sampling, scaling, response rates, scoring and comparison procedures.
- IEA ICILS 2023 Technical Report, revised 3 July 2026 — international sampling, data processing, scaling, trend linking, scoring and proficiency-level methodology.
- IEA ICILS 2023 — international study documentation, publications and data resources.
Population and participation
The U.S. ICILS target population is eighth-grade students. The United States participated in both CIL and the optional CT component in 2018 and 2023. ICILS 2023 included 35 education systems, with 24 participating in CT.
Score comparability
CIL scores are comparable with CIL scores across cycles, and CT scores are comparable with CT scores across cycles. CIL and CT represent different constructs and should not be interpreted as a single combined score or compared directly as if they shared one achievement scale.
International averages
The ICILS international average gives equal weight to participating non-benchmarking education systems that meet the applicable technical standards. U.S. results were not included in the international average because U.S. participation rates were below the international guideline.
2026 technical-report revision
IEA identifies the current ICILS 2023 Technical Report as the version revised on 3 July 2026. Its errata note on page 393 lists missing information and incorrect data identified in the earlier editions released on 26 May and 2 August 2025. Methodological descriptions on this page use the revised report as the current international technical reference.
Technical source version: The current international technical reference is the IEA ICILS 2023 Technical Report revised on 3 July 2026. The U.S. CIL score of 482, CT score of 461 and the displayed 2018–2023 U.S. score series on this page continue to follow the published NCES U.S. results.
The weighted U.S. student participation rate was 70 percent in 2018 and 56 percent in 2023, below the 85 percent international sampling guideline. NCES and IEA still report the U.S. estimates with participation-rate annotations. Comparisons on this page follow the measurement language reported by NCES rather than treating every numerical difference as a measured difference.
The latest completed ICILS administration available for the United States is 2023. ICILS 2028 is the next international cycle, with main survey data collection scheduled during 2028.