If a student can’t pass Florida’s third grade math test, what chance will they have in fourth grade? And what happens when they’re facing more advanced math? The evidence suggests that early math gaps don’t simply disappear with age—they persist and grow.

According to the latest FAST scores , just 63% of third graders met Florida’s grade-level standards in math. Even fewer reached level 4 or 5, the threshold the state uses to signal a student is “likely to excel” in the next grade or course.

Worse, the percentage of students meeting state standards was higher in third grade than any other grade. By high school, the picture comes into even sharper clarity: only 60% of students passed the state’s Algebra exam last year, and just 55% passed Geometry.

Florida students still look relativ

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