Maryland students still struggle with high school-level math: See your school’s scores

Students across Maryland are still struggling to learn algebra.

The passing rate on the state’s Algebra I exam was 21.3%, behind only seventh- and eighth-grade math, according to annual test results released Tuesday. The Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program tests students in grades 3-8 and some high schoolers in English, math and science.

Algebra I exam results declined by 0.1 percentage points compared to 2025, one of a handful of math tests to see a drop since last year. Results were stronger for Algebra II and geometry, other high school-level classes that students take at different points in their academic careers depending on how good they are with numbers.

The number of students who take each test varies widely. Districts aren’t obligated to offer geometry and Algebra II tests and sometimes use the SAT to measure progress instead, said Cherie Duvall-Jones, a spokesperson for the Maryland State Department of Education. The variation makes it hard to compare results across tests, districts and over time.

The state will soon shift to a new sequence of classes that combines algebra, statistics and geometry into integrated Algebra I and Algebra II classes. Some districts, particularly the larger ones, have already shifted their course sequence and therefore their test-taking order, said Geoff Sanderson, the Maryland State Department of Education’s chief of accountability.

Here’s how students did in higher-level math across Central Maryland.

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Prince George’s County struggles the most with Algebra I

Only 11.1% of students in Prince George’s County passed the Algebra I exam, the lowest rate in Central Maryland. The district also saw the largest decline since last year at 9.9 percentage points, and its scores in the subject have seen the smallest gains in the region since 2022.

Prince George’s County students are predominantly Black, a population that has disproportionately suffered from a statewide decline in math achievement. Overall, 11.8% of Black students passed this year’s Algebra I test, nearly a 1-percentage-point improvement over 2025.

Anne Arundel saw the most improvement, at 4.3 percentage points. Howard County had the best passing rate in the state at 41.2%.

Montgomery County outperforms on Algebra II

Over three-quarters of Montgomery County’s Algebra II test-takers passed their exam, at 83.8%. That’s the highest pass rate in the state, though Montgomery tested only 117 students.

Montgomery County also saw the biggest improvement in Central Maryland, increasing proficiency rates by 8.8 percentage points.

This year, 27.1% of Maryland students passed the Algebra II exam, a 2.6-percentage-point gain over 2025. That’s the second-highest improvement rate across all math tests for all students in Maryland, behind geometry. Algebra II scores have gone up 7.2 percentage points since 2022.

Howard County, which tested over 4,000 more kids than Montgomery, had a 31% proficiency rate. In Baltimore County, 27.4% of over 1,500 kids passed the test, and 8.7% of nearly 2,000 did in Prince George’s.

Every district in the region improved its Algebra II score year-over-year, though no data was available for the test in Anne Arundel County and Baltimore City schools.

Students do their best in geometry

Statewide, proficiency rates in geometry jumped 17 percentage points to 44.5%. Sanderson cautioned that the number of geometry test takers declined by 41%. That makes this year’s group “the smallest that we’ve observed,” and results are more likely to vary widely.

Gains were more modest in Central Maryland, though geometry was a bright spot for Prince George’s County, which gained 6.4 percentage points, and Anne Arundel County, which improved by 34.2 percentage points.

Baltimore City had the highest passing rate in the region and in the state at 80.3%, though the district only tested 61 kids, the lowest number in Central Maryland.

About the Education Hub

This reporting is part of The Banner’s Education Hub, community-funded journalism that provides parents with resources they need to make decisions about how their children learn. Read more.