72% of Kansas 8th Graders Aren’t Proficient in Math

In Kansas, an unacceptable number of students are struggling in math. Right now, 72% of Kansas 8th graders are below proficient in math. That’s not just a disappointing statistic. It’s a flashing red warning light for the future of our workforce, our economy, and our civic life. 

If Kansas is going to compete for the jobs of tomorrow, we need students who can master the basics today. Numeracy, like literacy, is a foundational skill in education and life. And right now, our math outcomes are failing too many students. This is an urgent issue that requires real solutions for those who’ve fallen behind and for the students coming next.

The alarming reality in Kansas

According to the 2022 NAEP (Nation’s Report Card):

• 72% of Kansas 8th graders are below proficient in math.
• Kansas’s average 8th-grade score: 274, which is slightly above the national average, but far from top-performing states.
• Only 28% of 8th graders scored proficient or above which is down from 32% in 2019.
• Among low-income 8th graders, just 12% are proficient.

Why 8th grade test scores matter so much

If you want to understand Kansas’s economic future, look no further than 8th grade math scores.
Why? Because 8th grade math achievement is one of the most powerful predictors of lifetime earnings, workforce readiness, and societal well-being. How do we know this?

• Research from Harvard University shows that a 1 standard deviation increase in 8th grade math scores correlates with an 8% rise in adult income, along with declines in unemployment, incarceration, and teen motherhood (Kane et al., 2022).
• The Urban Institute’s Social Genome Model confirms that math improvements in middle childhood (around age 11–13) have greater earnings impact than at earlier ages, with gains of 3–4% in average income by age 30 for a 0.5 standard deviation math improvement (Werner, Acs & Blagg, 2024).
• And Stanford’s Hoover Institution estimates that pandemic-era declines in 8th grade math scores could permanently reduce lifetime earnings by 5.6% and shrink Kansas’s GDP by up to 2.9% annually unless addressed through academic recovery efforts (Hanushek, 2022).

In short: 8th grade math isn’t just a test score, it’s a signal of future readiness.

What are other states doing to improve?

Kansas is not alone in confronting low math proficiency. Across the country, states are taking forward steps to reverse alarming trends in student achievement and several are seeing measurable success.

A recent policy review by ExcelinEd highlights how states like Mississippi, Louisiana, Tennessee, and Indiana are improving math and reading outcomes through clear, coordinated reforms focused on instructional quality, accountability, and early intervention.

Mississippi, for example, has dramatically improved its fourth-grade math performance, rising into the top ten nationally, by implementing a transparent A–F school accountability system, investing in teacher training, and requiring high-quality instructional materials that align to state standards. Mississippi has made it a policy priority to identify struggling students early and provide direct support to get them back on track.

Louisiana is taking an intentional stand to ensure that struggling students are not left behind. Through its newly adopted “Grow-Achieve-Thrive” accountability framework, the state’s Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) is emphasizing student growth especially among the lowest-performing learners. Rather than focusing solely on proficiency, Louisiana’s model gives real weight to how much progress students make year over year, with schools held accountable for accelerating growth among those who are furthest behind. This shift ensures that low-performing students aren’t overlooked in averages but are prioritized through both data and support.

Indiana has taken a comprehensive approach by embedding math reforms into broader efforts to raise academic expectations. The state has increased access to diagnostic assessments and high-dosage tutoring while using student performance data to track progress and intervene where necessary.

What these states have in common is a clear recognition that improving math outcomes requires more than hope, it requires structure, urgency, and the political will to make change happen. Kansas can learn from these success stories. With updated standards, expanded professional development, and the launch of new tools like the Kansas Math Project, the state has a foundation. Now it’s time to take the next step: defining accountability, scaling effective interventions, and ensuring every student has access to high-quality math instruction every single day.

Where do we go from here?

1. Get back to the basics: Math isn’t optional, it’s essential. We need to ensure every school is using high-quality, proven instructional materials aligned to our standards. Phonics worked for reading; now it’s time for math to get the same attention.
2. Implement real accountability: Adopt a clear A–F school grading system (based on growth) so parents and taxpayers know which schools are delivering results and which are not.
3. Measure growth, not just averages: We must reward schools that help kids grow. Louisiana’s growth-based model proves that when schools are held accountable for improving outcomes, they rise to the challenge.
4. Offer high-dosage tutoring: Some students need more time and more support to catch up. High-dosage tutoring, delivered multiple times per week, during the school day, is one of the most effective tools we have to accelerate math learning.
5. Support teachers with targeted, subject-specific training: High-quality materials are only as effective as the teachers delivering them. We need to provide sustained, math-focused professional development that helps teachers build deep content knowledge and align instruction with our standards.

The Bottom Line

It’s not acceptable to write off a generation of Kansas kids as “too far behind.” We owe them and our economy more than that. Kansas must act with urgency, not just to repair the damage already done, but to build a math education system that works for the next generation.

Because when 72% of 8th graders can’t do grade-level math, our state’s future is already at risk and the cost of inaction is simply too high.