Why Are Kids' Math Scores Falling, and How to Help Your Child

If you have a nagging feeling that your child's math is not where it should be, you are not imagining it, and you are not alone. National data shows that math achievement took a real hit and has not fully recovered. The good news: math is one of the most fixable subjects, because it is so structured. Here is what is going on and what you can do.

What the data shows

On the 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress, often called the Nation's Report Card, only about 39 percent of fourth-graders scored at or above the NAEP Proficient level in math, and average scores were still below their pre-pandemic 2019 level (The Nation's Report Card). In other words, a majority of children are not yet proficient, and the recovery has been slow and uneven.

Why it is happening

The pandemic disrupted exactly the years when foundational math is built, and many classrooms are still catching up. Add large class sizes, a curriculum that moves at one fixed pace, and the fact that math builds relentlessly on itself, and it is easy for a child to fall a little behind and then stay behind.

Why math gaps compound faster than other subjects

Math is cumulative in a way reading is not. If a child never fully masters fractions, then ratios, then algebra all become harder, because each one sits on top of the last. A small, unaddressed gap in grade 3 can quietly become a serious struggle by grade 6. This is why catching gaps early matters so much in math specifically.

How to tell if your child has a gap

Watch for a child who gets answers right but cannot explain why, who relies on memorized tricks instead of understanding, or who suddenly resists a subject they used to handle. Slow, anxious, or avoidant behavior around homework is often a sign of a missing foundation, not a lack of ability.

Five things you can do at home

First, focus on understanding over speed, and ask your child to explain their thinking. Second, normalize mistakes as part of learning. Third, weave small bits of math into daily life, like cooking, money, and time. Fourth, keep it short and consistent rather than long and stressful. Fifth, if a gap keeps showing up, get targeted help before it compounds.

When to get extra help

If your child is consistently frustrated, falling behind classmates, or losing confidence, a small-group or one-on-one setting can close gaps far faster than a packed classroom. The goal is not just more practice, but practice matched to exactly where the gap is, with someone who can spot the misunderstanding behind a wrong answer.

How SparkWise approaches math

SparkWise uses a Singapore-inspired approach that builds genuine understanding, moving from concrete to pictorial to abstract, rather than memorized tricks. Classes are live, small, and taught by the founders, so gaps get caught and closed early. A free trial lesson is the best way to find your child's exact level.