U.S. TIMSS 2023 Results
U.S. fourth- and eighth-grade students scored above the TIMSS 2023 international averages in mathematics and science. Mathematics scores were lower than in 2019 at both grades, while the science changes were not measurable under the NCES comparison rule. Content and cognitive subscales show how performance varied within each grade and subject.
U.S. TIMSS 2023 Scores
U.S. Scores Compared With TIMSS International Averages
Mean mathematics and science scores for fourth- and eighth-grade students in 2023.
TIMSS reports Grade 4 and Grade 8 as separate student populations. The international average is cycle-specific and is not the same as the TIMSS scale centerpoint of 500.
NCES and IEA TIMSS 2023 results.
TIMSS 2023 U.S. Results by Grade and Subject
| Change Finding | 2023 International Context | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 4 Mathematics | 535 | 517 | 503 | −18 | Measurably lower than 2019 | Above the international average |
| Grade 8 Mathematics | 515 | 488 | 478 | −27 | Measurably lower than 2019 | Above the international average |
| Grade 4 Science | 539 | 532 | 494 | −7 | No measurable difference from 2019 | Above the international average |
| Grade 8 Science | 522 | 513 | 478 | −9 | No measurable difference from 2019 | Above the international average |
Grade 4 science source note: The original NCES TIMSS 2019 release reports the U.S. Grade 4 science cycle mean as 539. The later NCES TIMSS 2023 trend narrative displays 538 for 2019 in its 2019–2023 comparison. This page uses 539 when listing the published 2019 cycle mean, so 539 → 532 is shown as a displayed rounded difference of −7. The NCES 2023 comparison finding remains no measurable difference from 2019.
Mathematics Fell While Science Was More Stable
- The 2023 pattern differed by subject. Mathematics declined from 2019 at both grades under the NCES testing rule, while the smaller numerical declines in science did not meet the threshold for a measurable change.
- Trend direction and international standing describe different aspects of the results. Each U.S. mean remained above its corresponding 2023 TIMSS international average even though mathematics moved downward from the previous cycle.
- Grade 4 and Grade 8 results should be interpreted separately. They represent different student populations, so the gap between their mean scores is not a measure of individual academic growth.
U.S. TIMSS 2023 Domain Profile
TIMSS reports separate content subscales and three cognitive domains—Knowing, Applying and Reasoning—for each grade and subject. The searchable matrix keeps every subscale tied to its matching U.S. overall score.
Displayed Difference is the subscale score minus the rounded U.S. overall score for the same grade and subject. It is a descriptive subtraction. IEA’s formal relative-domain comparisons use unrounded estimates and their sampling uncertainty, so a positive or negative displayed difference alone should not be treated as a formal relative-strength or relative-weakness finding.
The Overall International Average column supplies international context for the matching grade and subject. It is not an international average for the individual subscale.
| Overall International Context | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | Mathematics | Content | Number | 523 | 517 | +6 | 503 | U.S. overall above international average |
| 4 | Mathematics | Content | Measurement and Geometry | 499 | 517 | −18 | 503 | U.S. overall above international average |
| 4 | Mathematics | Content | Data | 519 | 517 | +2 | 503 | U.S. overall above international average |
| 4 | Mathematics | Cognitive | Knowing | 521 | 517 | +4 | 503 | U.S. overall above international average |
| 4 | Mathematics | Cognitive | Applying | 517 | 517 | 0 | 503 | U.S. overall above international average |
| 4 | Mathematics | Cognitive | Reasoning | 513 | 517 | −4 | 503 | U.S. overall above international average |
| 8 | Mathematics | Content | Number | 486 | 488 | −2 | 478 | U.S. overall above international average |
| 8 | Mathematics | Content | Algebra | 492 | 488 | +4 | 478 | U.S. overall above international average |
| 8 | Mathematics | Content | Geometry and Measurement | 480 | 488 | −8 | 478 | U.S. overall above international average |
| 8 | Mathematics | Content | Data and Probability | 492 | 488 | +4 | 478 | U.S. overall above international average |
| 8 | Mathematics | Cognitive | Knowing | 496 | 488 | +8 | 478 | U.S. overall above international average |
| 8 | Mathematics | Cognitive | Applying | 484 | 488 | −4 | 478 | U.S. overall above international average |
| 8 | Mathematics | Cognitive | Reasoning | 480 | 488 | −8 | 478 | U.S. overall above international average |
| 4 | Science | Content | Life Science | 541 | 532 | +9 | 494 | U.S. overall above international average |
| 4 | Science | Content | Physical Science | 525 | 532 | −7 | 494 | U.S. overall above international average |
| 4 | Science | Content | Earth Science | 528 | 532 | −4 | 494 | U.S. overall above international average |
| 4 | Science | Cognitive | Knowing | 535 | 532 | +3 | 494 | U.S. overall above international average |
| 4 | Science | Cognitive | Applying | 530 | 532 | −2 | 494 | U.S. overall above international average |
| 4 | Science | Cognitive | Reasoning | 530 | 532 | −2 | 494 | U.S. overall above international average |
| 8 | Science | Content | Biology | 516 | 513 | +3 | 478 | U.S. overall above international average |
| 8 | Science | Content | Chemistry | 505 | 513 | −8 | 478 | U.S. overall above international average |
| 8 | Science | Content | Physics | 517 | 513 | +4 | 478 | U.S. overall above international average |
| 8 | Science | Content | Earth Science | 511 | 513 | −2 | 478 | U.S. overall above international average |
| 8 | Science | Cognitive | Knowing | 503 | 513 | −10 | 478 | U.S. overall above international average |
| 8 | Science | Cognitive | Applying | 514 | 513 | +1 | 478 | U.S. overall above international average |
| 8 | Science | Cognitive | Reasoning | 521 | 513 | +8 | 478 | U.S. overall above international average |
Source: IEA TIMSS 2023 International Results in Mathematics and Science, content- and cognitive-domain exhibits; NCES TIMSS 2023 Technical Notes.
The Subscales Reveal Different Within-Subject Profiles
- Grade 4 mathematics had its largest displayed content-domain contrast between Number (+6 relative to the rounded overall score) and Measurement and Geometry (−18). The cognitive scores were closer together, ranging from 521 in Knowing to 513 in Reasoning.
- At Grade 8, mathematics showed an eight-point positive offset in Knowing and an eight-point negative offset in Reasoning. Geometry and Measurement was also eight points below the rounded overall mathematics score.
- Grade 4 science ranged from 541 in Life Science to 525 in Physical Science. The three cognitive scores were more tightly grouped around the overall science result.
- Grade 8 science showed a different cognitive pattern: Knowing was 10 points below the rounded overall score, while Reasoning was eight points above it. Among the content domains, scores ranged from 505 in Chemistry to 517 in Physics.
U.S. Scores in 2019 and 2023
Two-cycle comparison for mathematics and science at grades 4 and 8.
The mathematics declines from 2019 to 2023 were measurable under the NCES testing rule. The science score differences were not. For Grade 4 science, the displayed 2019 value is the 539 cycle mean published in the original TIMSS 2019 U.S. release.
NCES TIMSS 2019 and TIMSS 2023 U.S. results.
TIMSS 2023 International Benchmark Attainment
TIMSS defines four international achievement benchmarks on its scale: Low at 400 points, Intermediate at 475, High at 550 and Advanced at 625. The percentages below show the share of U.S. students reaching or exceeding the Low and Advanced benchmarks.
| Grade 4 Mathematics | 13% | 87% |
| Grade 8 Mathematics | 8% | 82% |
| Grade 4 Science | 15% | 91% |
| Grade 8 Science | 12% | 87% |
Benchmark percentages are cumulative. Students reaching the Advanced benchmark are also included among students reaching the lower benchmark thresholds.
Science Had Higher Baseline Attainment at Both Grades
- At both grades, a larger share of U.S. students reached at least the Low benchmark in science than in mathematics.
- Grade 8 mathematics also had a smaller Advanced share than Grade 8 science, indicating that the subject difference was visible at both the baseline and upper ends of the benchmark distribution.
Data Sources, Measurement and Comparability
U.S. results are reported by the National Center for Education Statistics. TIMSS is an international study conducted under the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement.
The data shown are from the TIMSS 2023 assessment cycle. The U.S. TIMSS 2023 results were released in December 2024. The assessment year and publication year therefore refer to different dates.
TIMSS assesses fourth- and eighth-grade students. Grade 4 and Grade 8 are separate reporting populations and should not be combined into one student-growth series.
Grade 4 mathematics covers Number, Measurement and Geometry, and Data; Grade 8 mathematics covers Number, Algebra, Geometry and Measurement, and Data and Probability. Grade 4 science covers Life Science, Physical Science and Earth Science, while Grade 8 science covers Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Earth Science.
Mathematics and science items are also classified by the cognitive processes Knowing, Applying and Reasoning. The domain scores describe performance within the matching grade and subject rather than forming a new combined TIMSS score.
The domain matrix uses published U.S. subscale scores from the IEA international results. Displayed differences are calculated from rounded subscale and overall scores. Formal IEA relative-domain findings are based on the underlying estimates rather than rounded subtraction alone.
IEA TIMSS 2023 International Results in Mathematics and Science
TIMSS mathematics and science achievement is reported on a scale ranging from 0 to 1,000. The scale has an established centerpoint of 500 and a standard deviation of 100. Mathematics and science remain separate achievement domains.
The 2023 international averages used for the overall comparisons are the TIMSS cycle averages for participating education systems. They vary by grade and subject and should not be interpreted as the fixed 500-point scale centerpoint. The international-average values shown in the domain matrix are overall grade-subject references, not subscale averages.
The TIMSS achievement benchmarks are Low at 400 points, Intermediate at 475, High at 550 and Advanced at 625. Benchmark percentages report the share of students reaching or exceeding each threshold.
NCES tests reported score differences using a p < .05 decision rule. A numerical change alone is therefore not treated as a measurable increase or decrease when the reported test does not meet that rule.
The original NCES TIMSS 2019 release reports the U.S. Grade 4 science average as 539. The NCES TIMSS 2023 trend narrative displays 538 for 2019 when describing the 2019–2023 comparison. Cycle-mean displays on this page use the original published 2019 value of 539, while the formal comparison follows the 2023 report: the 2023 result was not measurably different from 2019.
For Grade 4, the U.S. school sample met the applicable participation guideline after replacement schools were included. For Grade 8, the U.S. sample did not satisfy the full international participation guideline. The Grade 8 school participation rate remained at least 50 percent before replacement schools, and the United States was retained in the international tables and international-average calculations with the applicable reporting notation.
TIMSS 2023 was administered digitally in the United States. Comparisons reported by NCES incorporate the study’s procedures for maintaining trend measurement across cycles.