The math is adding up for DC kids on academic recovery in math and reading. A real investment in math would pay dividends to DC students and the city

Students compete at the 2026 inaugural Capital Math Classic at Nationals Park

DC’s reading and math scores are improving faster than those in any state in the nation, according to a new report out from key education researchers, but that doesn’t mean it’s time to coast. Those of us who work with and in schools in this city have a lot more to do to ensure all students get the education they need to excel academically and thrive in life.

In reading, students in third through eighth grade have demonstrated growth equivalent to nearly an extra year since 2022, with the average student demonstrating proficiency at levels similar to their pre-pandemic peers. That’s great news for students and families. It should not come as news to DC teachers and schools who have been implementing the science of reading over the last several years.

Education Scorecard researchers credit DC’s multi-million dollar investment that targeted reading support for low-income students, of which nine in 10 identified as Black. DC teachers received training on the foundations of literacy, like phonics and decoding, and real-time coaching. Schools adopted high-quality reading materials. Students who needed additional support received it through intensive tutoring.

When it comes to math, our city has seen gains too: seven percentage points since 2022 on the state assessment. But numeracy skills remain below pre-pandemic proficiency levels. On average, students are about six months behind where they should be in each grade. 

Research shows that improvements in math scores lead to higher incomes for individuals and greater GDP overall.

Improved math scores also lead to more college degrees and better job prospects and fewer rates of arrests and incarceration and fewer teen pregnancies. In fact, gains in math achievement as early as kindergarten are highly associated with increased wages by age 30, gains that are stronger than equivalent improvement in reading, family or peer relationships, and physical health.

Since 2021, the District has invested $72.7 million for literacy in public and private funds, including a $20.3 million federal grant for teacher development and a $49.8 million Comprehensive Literacy State Development grant. Math investments since 2021 total just $20 million, all from a single private philanthropic grant.

DC schools have adopted the right math curricular materials with some efforts to ensure teachers themselves are strong mathematicians. The support is far from universal, however, and the city has not fully invested in ensuring math teachers have access to similar intensive coaching as their reading colleagues. Every math classroom needs tools and resources to understand how students are doing in math in real time, identifying which students need additional support like tutoring or at-home activities.

The incoming mayor can set the right tone on math achievement, signal the importance of math for families and the greater community, and invest in what research and DC teachers tell us works. In October, the DC Math Task Force outlined the resources and supports needed to ensure more students are on grade level in math. 

And that $20 million private grant launched the Capital Math Collective, which includes my organization, to systematically improve math outcomes in the city with a bold goal: That DC will be the first urban district where every student group outperforms the national average in math by 2030. 

There are bright spots.

Center City at Congress Heights, where all 8th graders take Algebra I are excelling. In 2025, 70% of the school’s 8th graders met or exceeded expectations, compared to 25% of 8th graders citywide. Compare that to DC’s wealthiest area, where 64% of 8th graders met or exceeded expectations in Ward 3. In Ward 8, where the campus is located, just 15% met or exceeded expectations.

Neither the work nor math itself is easy. Our teachers have a big job ahead of them in deeply understanding the math content they expect students to know, reversing harmful “I’m not a math person” mantras that adults and students alike repeat, and helping all kids understand a topic that requires a different way of thinking.

DC has the teachers, schools, and leadership — not to mention a reputation of accelerating student achievement — to make meaningful progress for DC’s kids and our economy. We just need the will, and the investment, to do so.