GEORGIA — Fewer than half of Georgia’s eighth graders have been proficient in math since 2019.
While the state has made strides in addressing that lack of proficiency in recent years, 2026’s eighth graders saw their class proficiency drop again for the first time since before the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2019, 35% of Georgia eighth graders were proficient in math at their grade level.
“Scores increased or held steady on six out of seven math assessments, with some mathematics grade levels — fourth, fifth, and sixth grades and high-school Algebra — reaching all-time highs over the lifetime of the Georgia Milestones assessment system,” Georgia Dept. of Education said in a statement. “Scores also increased or held steady on all four science assessments and both social studies assessments.”
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The number of students who could perform at their level increased steadily in the years since to 47% in 2025, but fell slightly this past school year, dropping 1%.
Those figures came from the Georgia Milestones, a set of assessments for students to gauge their overall attainment level in school subjects, such as reading and math, among others.
In all areas assessed, across multiple grade levels, only eighth grade math saw a decrease in proficiency in the latest round of testing.
“These results reflect the hard work taking place every day in Georgia’s classrooms,” State School Superintendent Richard Woods said. “Our teachers, school leaders, district teams, students, and families deserve tremendous credit for the progress we’re seeing in math, science, and social studies. At GaDOE, our focus has been simple: kids, classrooms, and common sense. Getting rid of Common Core and moving to Georgia-owned and Georgia-grown standards has led to clear improvements over time for our students. With that said, we know there’s still work to do, and we will not rest until the foundation is laid for every child to improve reading and mathematical skills.”
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