The study by Engzell, Frey, and Verhagen examines the impact of school closures during the COVID-19 pandemic on primary school students' learning in the Netherlands. Using a rich dataset from 350,000 students, the researchers compare progress during the lockdown period (8 weeks) with the same period in the previous three years. Despite favorable conditions, including a short lockdown, equitable school funding, and high broadband access, the results show a learning loss of about 3 percentile points or 0.08 standard deviations, equivalent to one-fifth of a school year. This loss is more pronounced among students from less-educated homes, with losses up to 60% larger compared to the general population. The study suggests that students made little to no progress while learning from home and that the losses are even larger in countries with weaker infrastructure or longer school closures. The findings highlight the importance of social investment strategies to address the long-term fallout of the pandemic on student learning and well-being.The study by Engzell, Frey, and Verhagen examines the impact of school closures during the COVID-19 pandemic on primary school students' learning in the Netherlands. Using a rich dataset from 350,000 students, the researchers compare progress during the lockdown period (8 weeks) with the same period in the previous three years. Despite favorable conditions, including a short lockdown, equitable school funding, and high broadband access, the results show a learning loss of about 3 percentile points or 0.08 standard deviations, equivalent to one-fifth of a school year. This loss is more pronounced among students from less-educated homes, with losses up to 60% larger compared to the general population. The study suggests that students made little to no progress while learning from home and that the losses are even larger in countries with weaker infrastructure or longer school closures. The findings highlight the importance of social investment strategies to address the long-term fallout of the pandemic on student learning and well-being.