Albany County schools outpace Wyoming peers in academic recovery

Albany County School District 1 in Laramie emerged as one of Wyoming’s brighter spots in a new national look at academic recovery, with stronger gains in math and reading than many of its in-state peers. The district’s progress stands out because it came inside a state that still has not fully shaken off the pandemic’s academic losses, even though Wyoming students continue to score above the national average on major assessments.

The Education Recovery Scorecard, built from district-level data from 2019 through 2024 by Stanford and Harvard researchers, found that Albany County’s 3rd- through 8th-grade math average rose to 1.11 grade-level equivalents in 2024 from 0.96 in 2022. That is still below its 2019 level of 1.19, but it marks a meaningful rebound. Reading told a more complicated story: the district averaged 1.01 in 2024, down from 1.11 in 2022 and slightly below 1.08 in 2019. Absenteeism also improved, falling to 1.01 in 2024 from 1.11 in 2022 and 1.08 in 2019.

That mix of gains and gaps matters in Laramie, where Albany County School District 1 operates 12 schools and two public charters, employs nearly 800 educators and serves about 3,280 students. In a district that large, the recovery picture is visible in more than one classroom level, and it offers a local benchmark for how schools can hold ground when families, staff and students all stay engaged.

The district’s results also placed it ahead of several Wyoming comparison districts named in the scorecard: Sweetwater County School District 2, Converse County School District 1, Goshen County School District 1, Platte County School District 1 and Weston County School District 1. The Stanford-Harvard analysis found 102 medium and large districts nationwide had recovered above pre-pandemic levels in both math and reading, underscoring that Albany County is part of a larger pattern of uneven but real recovery rather than an isolated success story.

Wyoming’s broader picture remains mixed. On Jan. 29, 2025, the Wyoming Department of Education said 4th- and 8th-graders were still performing above the national average in reading and mathematics, but the state’s 2024 NAEP results also showed a five-year downward trend in both subjects. State Superintendent Megan Degenfelder said she was proud of students and educators, but added that “the work doesn’t stop here.” Department chief of staff Dicky Shanor later said Wyoming’s strong starting point can make national recovery comparisons harder to read.

For Albany County, the challenge now is whether local gains can survive a new round of pressure. Wyoming lawmakers passed a major school funding overhaul in spring 2026, creating uncertainty for district budgets and staffing just as schools are trying to protect the momentum that has put ACSD1 ahead of many of its peers.