Skip Navigation
Digest of Education Statistics
2006 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest


Table 126. Selected statistics on mathematics education for public school students, by state or jurisdiction: 2000, 2003, and 2004 
State or jurisdiction Math units
required for graduation
in 2004
Length of school year (in days) High school exit exam required for graduation
in 2004
Percent of 8th-grade students reporting (2003)
2000 2004 3 or more
hours
of math
instruction
each week
Spending
30 minutes
or more on
math homework each day1 
Positive
attitudes
toward math2 
Watching
6 or more hours
of television
or videotapes
each day
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
United States       88 (0.7) 57 (—) 72 (—) 15 (0.2)
Alabama 4   175   175 Yes   77 (4.1) 55 (—) 74 (—) 21 (1.1)
Alaska 2   180   180 Yes   92 (2.1) (†) (†) (†)
Arizona 2   175 3  175 Yes 4  86 (3.3) 59 (—) 72 (—) 11 (0.7)
Arkansas 4   178   178 No   86 (3.6) 57 (—) 75 (—) 18 (0.9)
California 2   175   180 Yes 4  87 (3.4) 70 (—) 67 (—) 14 (0.7)
                               
Colorado [5]   [6]   170 No   91 (2.9) 63 (—) 68 (—) 9 (0.7)
Connecticut 3   180   180 No   93 (2.3) 56 (—) 73 (—) 15 (0.8)
Delaware 3   [6]   [6] No   100 (†) 51 (—) 78 (—) 18 (0.8)
District of Columbia 3   180 7  180 Yes 4  92 (0.5) 56 (—) 76 (—) 34 (1.1)
Florida 3   180   180 Yes   79 (4.6) 57 (—) 74 (—) 20 (1.1)
                               
Georgia 4   180 7  180 Yes   83 (3.5) 59 (—) 74 (—) 18 (0.9)
Hawaii 3   184   183 No   93 (0.3) 66 (—) 70 (—) 20 (0.8)
Idaho 4 8  180   170 Yes 4  90 (2.1) 56 (—) 70 (—) 9 (0.6)
Illinois 2   180 9  185 No   83 (3.6) 62 (—) 73 (—) 15 (0.8)
Indiana 4 8  180   180 Yes   87 (3.4) 59 (—) 72 (—) 13 (0.9)
                               
Iowa [5]   180   180 No   84 (3.6) 56 (—) 75 (—) 10 (0.6)
Kansas 2   186   186 No   83 (4.3) 56 (—) 75 (—) 11 (0.6)
Kentucky 3   175   [6] No   90 (3.1) 54 (—) 75 (—) 15 (0.8)
Louisiana 3   175   177 Yes   92 (3.0) 50 (—) 78 (—) 23 (1.0)
Maine 2   175   180 No   91 (2.0) 58 (—) 74 (—) 10 (0.7)
                               
Maryland 3   180   180 Yes 4  83 (4.1) 52 (—) 74 (—) 20 (0.9)
Massachusetts [5]   180   180 Yes   91 (3.0) 60 (—) 75 (—) 11 (0.6)
Michigan [5]   180   185 Yes 4  90 (3.1) 52 (—) 74 (—) 16 (1.0)
Minnesota 3   [10]   [6] Yes   89 (2.7) 53 (—) 74 (—) 8 (0.6)
Mississippi 3   180   180 Yes   82 (3.5) 50 (—) 78 (—) 23 (1.1)
                               
Missouri 2   174   174 No   91 (2.4) 57 (—) 72 (—) 14 (0.7)
Montana 2   180   180 No   91 (1.3) 58 (—) 75 (—) 9 (0.6)
Nebraska [5]   [6]   [6] No   89 (1.4) 59 (—) 74 (—) 10 (0.7)
Nevada 3   180   180 Yes   91 (0.6) 60 (—) 71 (—) 16 (0.7)
New Hampshire 2   180   180 No   92 (1.8) 57 (—) 70 (—) 10 (0.6)
                               
New Jersey 3   180   180 Yes   84 (4.1) 54 (—) 76 (—) 15 (0.7)
New Mexico 3   180   180 Yes   84 (3.1) 61 (—) 72 (—) 13 (0.9)
New York 2   180 7  180 Yes   91 (2.7) 51 (—) 74 (—) 17 (0.8)
North Carolina 3   180   180 Yes   81 (3.7) 63 (—) 78 (—) 16 (0.6)
North Dakota [5]   173   173 No   89 (1.5) 54 (—) 76 (—) 8 (0.6)
                               
Ohio 3   182   182 Yes 4  91 (3.2) 53 (—) 73 (—) 14 (0.7)
Oklahoma 3   180   180 Yes 4  84 (3.8) 55 (—) 68 (—) 14 (0.8)
Oregon 2   [6]   [6] No   88 (3.1) 58 (—) 67 (—) 11 (0.7)
Pennsylvania [5]   180   180 No   93 (2.6) 46 (—) 75 (—) 14 (0.9)
Rhode Island 2   180   180 No   91 (0.4) 55 (—) 68 (—) 14 (0.8)
                               
South Carolina 4   180   180 Yes 4  83 (4.0) 55 (—) 77 (—) 19 (0.9)
South Dakota 2     170 No   93 (1.0) 60 (—) 76 (—) 8 (0.5)
Tennessee 3   180   180 Yes 4  85 (3.3) 53 (—) 73 (—) 18 (1.0)
Texas 3   187   180 Yes 4  92 (2.8) 57 (—) 73 (—) 16 (0.8)
Utah 2   180   180 Yes 4  95 (1.9) 53 (—) 66 (—) 7 (0.5)
                               
Vermont 5 11  175   175 No   78 (2.4) 57 (—) 70 (—) 10 (0.7)
Virginia 3   180   180 Yes   92 (2.7) 55 (—) 74 (—) 17 (1.0)
Washington 2   180 9  180 Yes 4  89 (3.5) 59 (—) 70 (—) 12 (0.7)
West Virginia 3   180   180 No   91 (3.0) 47 (—) 75 (—) 15 (1.0)
Wisconsin 2   180   180 No   93 (2.6) 52 (—) 73 (—) 12 (0.9)
Wyoming 3   175   175 No   97 (0.2) 58 (—) 73 (—) 11 (0.6)
Department of Defense
 dependents schools
                             
Domestic schools 3 12  183   No 12  68 (1.3) 63 (—) 79 (—) 17 (1.3)
Overseas schools 3 12  183   No 12  91 (0.5) 72 (—) 74 (—) 11 (0.6)
—Not available.
† Not applicable.
1 Percentage of students who report spending 30 minutes, 45 minutes, 1 hour, and over 1 hour on mathematics homework each day.
2 Percentage of students agreeing or strongly agreeing with this statement: "Mathematics is useful for solving everyday problems."
3 1994 data.
4 Exit exam policy under development or takes effect after 2004.
5 Local board determines policy.
6 No statewide policy.
7 1996 data.
8 Semester credits.
9 1998 data.
10 Varies by district.
11 Includes math and science courses.
12 2000 data.
NOTE: Standard errors appear in parentheses.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), 2003 Mathematics Assessment; and Coun­cil of Chief State School Officers, Key State Education Policies on PK–12 Education: 2000 and 2004. (This table was prepared September 2005.)

2006 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest