50% of US public school students lag a year behind due to COVID-19 pandemic: Education Department

Fifty percent of K-12 students in U.S. public schools have lost a full year of learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a newly released report by the Department of Education.

To put that figure in perspective, the percentage before the pandemic was 36% percent.

On the west coast, the numbers are even worse by a few percentage points: 54% of students are considered to be one grade level behind.

The results are from a survey of about 2,400 public elementary, middle and high schools in the U.S.

In Southern California, the Los Angeles Unified School District has taken steps to get kids back on track.

This past winter break, thousands of students showed up on campuses for what are known as acceleration days designed to help students catch up on classwork.

The Department of Education report found that schools are trying to get students back on track with tutoring, but almost half of public schools on the West Coast either can't find the tutoring staff or they don't have enough funding to hire them.