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After a Decade, San Francisco Discovers That Teaching Math Is Key in Ensuring Students Learn Math

Dmitri Bolt
Dmitri Bolt  |  March 30, 2026 12:30 PM

The city of San Francisco has reinstated its 8th-grade Algebra program after previously eliminating it in the name of inclusivity, a move that comes as math proficiency among eighth graders has fallen sharply in just a few short years.

School officials voted 4–3 last week to restore the program, reversing a 2014 policy that delayed advanced math to give struggling students more time to build foundational skills.

Instead of narrowing achievement gaps, overall proficiency declined. The share of eighth graders meeting math standards dropped from 51 percent in the 2016-17 school year to 40 percent in 2022-23, while proficiency among Black students fell from 11 percent to just 4 percent.

As performance slipped, many parents turned to private tutoring or paid summer programs to ensure their children stayed on track.

"Congratulations, San Francisco," lawyer and comedian Wes Austin said. "After only 10 years, one ballot initiative, and a generation of undereducated kids, you have successfully discovered that teaching math helps children learn math."

San Francisco “tried to achieve equity not by raising the floor, but by lowering the ceiling,” Thomas S. Dee, a Stanford University economist who has studied the policy, said. “It’s a problem we see nationally." 

This comes as the state’s overall reading and math scores continue to lag behind the national average, though Democrats, including Governor Gavin Newsom, would argue otherwise. 

Education has also become a central focus for the state's gubernatorial candidates, including the frontrunner, Republican Steve Hilton, who has pledged to overhaul the state’s struggling education system.