American students' reading and math scores have hit their lowest levels in 25 years, yet the country is facing a growing challenge: a lack of reliable data to understand and address this decline. The Trump administration's reorganization of the Department of Education, which included cutting nearly half of its workforce and allowing a newly formed "Department of Government Efficiency" (Doge) to cancel nearly $900 million in contracts, severely impacted the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). This federal agency is responsible for collecting critical data on the U.S. education system, including the well-known "Nation's Report Card," which tracks student performance across the country. NCES data also informs education policy and helps allocate funding to school districts. However, the agency's operations were drastically reduced, with its staff count dropping from about 100 to just four before some were rehired, bringing the total to 12. These cuts have limited the agency’s ability to collect and report on important educational data, including surveys on school violence and how students are financing their college education. According to former NCES employees, many of the agency’s ongoing data collections and reports are now inactive or have been scaled back significantly. A tracker published by the American Statistical Association highlights these reductions. Despite the cuts, a spokesperson for the Department of Education stated that the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), which includes NCES, is still collecting some data, including The Nation’s Report Card. The spokesperson emphasized the administration’s commitment to providing high-quality education statistics. Researchers and education advocates argue that the cuts to NCES are especially concerning given the current decline in student performance. Peggy Carr, a former NCES commissioner, pointed to the cancellation of the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study (ECLS) as one of the most significant losses. This long-running study tracked thousands of students from kindergarten through fifth grade and was preparing to survey a new group of first graders when funding was cut. The ECLS would have been the first to study children born after the pandemic and included new questions on its effects. The study has been cited in nearly 3,000 academic papers and has helped shape research on early childhood education and learning outcomes. Multiple lawsuits have been filed challenging the Trump administration’s cuts to education data and research, as part of a broader movement by researchers, educators, and parents. These efforts have led to the reinstatement of some NCES data collections, including the National Postsecondary Student Aid Survey. While the administration aimed to reduce the Department of Education’s size, the resulting cuts have raised concerns about the long-term impact on education policy and research. Advocacy and legal challenges have increased public pressure to restore critical data collection efforts and rethink the administration’s approach to education statistics.