California Math Scores 2026: What Parents Can Do Next

A headline about students struggling in math can leave you with a much more personal question: “How do I know what my child needs?” California’s latest results give a statewide picture. Your next step at home can be much smaller: understand one idea, ask one useful question, and decide what to try next.

What the California math results show

California released its 2025–26 statewide assessment results on October 15, 2026. On the Smarter Balanced math assessment, 38.4% of tested students scored at Level 3 or 4—the proficient or advanced levels—compared with 37.3% in 2024–25. That is an increase of 1.1 percentage points. Source: California Department of Education.

The majority did not reach Level 3, but that does not mean they have no math knowledge. CDE describes Level 2 as developing grade-level knowledge and skills. Scores also improved across the tested grades. The results show both progress and a continuing need for support. Read how CDE defines the levels.

A statewide score cannot tell you where your child should start

Use the news as a reason to ask about learning, rather than a conclusion about your child. Their classroom work, teacher’s observations, and individual score report can help build a clearer picture together.

A total score can leave an important question unanswered: which idea would make the next piece of math easier? For example, a child might remember a calculation rule yet need help drawing what the numbers represent. That is a possibility to explore, not a finding about every student below a particular score.

One idea to explore: what does 3/4 mean?

This example suits a child who has already been introduced to fractions, often in Grades 3–5. It is a conversation starter, not a grade-level assessment. Choose a different classroom topic if fractions are not part of their current learning.

Start with a blank strip of paper. Ask: “Can you divide this whole into four equal parts and shade three?” Ask them to explain what the 4 and the 3 tell us. Then compare their drawing with this example.

• Listen for: four equal parts in the whole, with three of those parts shaded.
• If it is tricky: fold the strip into four equal parts together. Count each shaded fourth, rather than introducing an addition rule.
• If it feels comfortable: ask them to draw 3/4 as a length on a line from 0 to 1. Keep the whole the same length.

A slip or a hesitant explanation is a reason to look again, not proof of a gap. Revisit the idea with a fresh example and ask the teacher what they see in class.

Three questions to bring to the teacher

1. “Which math idea would be most useful for us to work on first?”
2. “Could you show me an example of what my child can do, and one that is still tricky?”
3. “What short activity should we try, and what would improvement look like?”

Bring one piece of work or describe the drawing conversation. That gives the teacher something more specific to respond to than “Are they behind?”

For a simple follow-up routine, read how to help your child with math when you don’t know where to start.