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Digest of Education Statistics
2015 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest


Table 222.95. National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) mathematics performance of 17-year-olds, by highest mathematics course taken, sex, and race/ethnicity: Selected years, 1978 through 2012
[Standard errors appear in parentheses]
Year, sex, and race/ethnicity Percent of
students
Average scale score by highest mathematics course taken Percent of students at or above
score levels
All students Prealgebra
or general mathematics
Algebra I Geometry Algebra II Precalculus or calculus 200 250 300 350
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
1978                                            
All students 100 (†) 300 (1.0) 267 (0.8) 286 (0.7) 307 (0.7) 321 (0.7) 334 (1.4) 100 (†) 92 (0.5) 52 (1.1) 7 (0.4)
Sex                                            
Male 49 (0.5) 304 (1.0) 269 (1.0) 289 (0.9) 310 (1.0) 325 (0.8) 337 (2.0) 100 (†) 93 (0.5) 55 (1.2) 10 (0.6)
Female 51 (0.5) 297 (1.0) 264 (0.9) 284 (1.0) 304 (0.8) 318 (0.9) 329 (1.8) 100 (†) 91 (0.6) 48 (1.3) 5 (0.7)
Race/ethnicity                                            
White 83 (1.3) 306 (0.9) 272 (0.6) 291 (0.6) 310 (0.6) 325 (0.6) 338 (1.1) 100 (†) 96 (0.3) 58 (1.1) 8 (0.5)
Black 12 (1.1) 268 (1.3) 247 (1.6) 264 (1.5) 281 (1.9) 292 (1.4) 297 (6.5) 99 (0.3) 71 (1.7) 17 (1.6) # (†)
Hispanic 4 (0.5) 276 (2.3) 256 (2.3) 273 (2.8) 294 (4.4) 303 (2.9) (†) 99 (0.4) 78 (2.3) 23 (2.7) 1 (0.6)
Other1 1 (0.1) 313 (3.3) (†) (†) (†) 323 (2.9) (†) 100 (†) 94 (2.6) 65 (4.9) 15 (3.2)
                                             
1990                                            
All students 100 (†) 305 (0.9) 273 (1.1) 288 (1.2) 299 (1.5) 319 (1.0) 344 (2.7) 100 (†) 96 (0.5) 56 (1.4) 7 (0.6)
Sex                                            
Male 49 (0.9) 306 (1.1) 274 (1.7) 291 (1.6) 302 (1.6) 323 (1.2) 347 (2.4) 100 (†) 96 (0.8) 58 (1.4) 9 (0.8)
Female 51 (0.9) 303 (1.1) 271 (1.8) 285 (1.8) 296 (1.8) 316 (1.1) 340 (4.0) 100 (†) 96 (0.8) 55 (1.8) 6 (0.8)
Race/ethnicity                                            
White 73 (0.5) 309 (1.0) 277 (1.1) 292 (1.6) 304 (1.3) 323 (0.9) 347 (2.8) 100 (†) 98 (0.3) 63 (1.6) 8 (0.7)
Black 16 (0.3) 289 (2.8) 264 (2.2) 278 (4.0) 285 (3.5) 302 (3.2) (†) 100 (†) 92 (2.2) 33 (4.5) 2 (1.0)
Hispanic 7 (0.4) 284 (2.9) (†) (†) (†) 306 (3.3) (†) 100 (†) 86 (4.2) 30 (3.1) 2 (0.8)
Other1 4 (0.5) 312 (5.2) (†) (†) (†) 321 (3.8) (†) 100 (†) 98 (†) 62 (7.0) 16 (4.3)
                                             
1996                                            
All students 100 (†) 307 (1.2) 269 (1.9) 283 (1.3) 298 (1.3) 316 (1.3) 339 (1.7) 100 (†) 97 (0.4) 60 (1.7) 7 (0.8)
Sex                                            
Male 50 (1.2) 310 (1.3) 272 (2.5) 286 (1.5) 302 (1.7) 320 (1.7) 342 (2.3) 100 (†) 97 (0.7) 63 (1.8) 9 (1.3)
Female 50 (1.2) 305 (1.4) 265 (2.2) 278 (2.2) 294 (1.5) 313 (1.4) 335 (2.2) 100 (†) 97 (0.6) 58 (2.2) 5 (0.8)
Race/ethnicity                                            
White 71 (0.6) 313 (1.4) 273 (2.3) 287 (2.0) 304 (1.6) 320 (1.4) 342 (1.9) 100 (†) 99 (0.4) 69 (2.2) 9 (1.0)
Black 15 (0.3) 286 (1.7) (†) 272 (2.4) 280 (3.0) 299 (2.2) (†) 100 (†) 91 (1.3) 31 (2.5) 1 (—)
Hispanic 9 (0.7) 292 (2.1) (†) (†) (†) 306 (2.8) (†) 100 (†) 92 (2.2) 40 (3.5) 2 (—)
Other1 4 (0.7) 312 (5.7) (†) (†) (†) (†) (†) 100 (†) 97 (1.2) 64 (7.2) 14 (5.0)
                                             
1999                                            
All students 100 (†) 308 (1.0) 278 (2.8) 285 (1.7) 298 (1.2) 315 (0.8) 341 (1.4) 100 (†) 97 (0.5) 61 (1.6) 8 (0.8)
Sex                                            
Male 48 (1.0) 310 (1.4) 281 (3.2) 288 (2.6) 301 (1.8) 317 (1.3) 343 (1.9) 100 (†) 96 (0.8) 63 (2.1) 10 (1.1)
Female 52 (1.0) 307 (1.0) 274 (3.2) 282 (2.5) 295 (1.3) 314 (1.1) 340 (2.0) 100 (†) 97 (0.4) 58 (1.9) 7 (1.1)
Race/ethnicity                                            
White 72 (0.5) 315 (1.1) 282 (3.4) 290 (2.2) 303 (1.5) 320 (0.9) 343 (1.5) 100 (†) 99 (0.4) 70 (2.0) 10 (1.1)
Black 15 (0.4) 283 (1.5) (†) 267 (2.9) 281 (2.5) 293 (1.4) (†) 100 (†) 89 (2.0) 27 (2.7) 1 (—)
Hispanic 10 (0.5) 293 (2.5) (†) (†) (†) 308 (3.0) (†) 100 (†) 94 (2.2) 38 (4.1) 3 (1.1)
Other1 4 (0.2) 320 (4.0) (†) (†) (†) 320 (4.4) (†) 100 (†) 100 (†) 76 (6.3) 14 (4.1)
                                             
2008                                            
All students 100 (†) 306 (0.6) 270 (1.9) 280 (1.1) 295 (0.8) 307 (0.7) 333 (0.8) (†) 96 (0.4) 59 (0.9) 6 (0.4)
Sex                                            
Male 50 (0.5) 309 (0.7) 273 (2.9) 283 (1.5) 300 (0.8) 310 (0.8) 336 (1.1) (†) 96 (0.5) 63 (1.0) 8 (0.6)
Female 50 (0.5) 303 (0.8) 267 (2.8) 276 (1.6) 289 (1.0) 303 (0.8) 331 (0.9) (†) 96 (0.4) 56 (1.3) 5 (0.3)
Race/ethnicity                                            
White 59 (1.5) 314 (0.7) 275 (2.3) 287 (1.3) 301 (0.9) 314 (0.8) 337 (0.8) (†) 98 (0.3) 71 (1.1) 8 (0.5)
Black 14 (1.4) 287 (1.2) (†) 266 (2.6) 282 (1.6) 291 (1.5) 312 (2.6) (†) 91 (1.4) 32 (1.6) 1 (0.2)
Hispanic 19 (1.2) 293 (1.1) 261 (3.2) 274 (2.3) 289 (1.3) 296 (1.2) 320 (1.9) (†) 92 (1.1) 41 (1.7) 1 (0.4)
Other1 7 (0.5) 316 (1.8) (†) (†) 297 (2.8) 311 (1.9) 340 (2.2) (†) 98 (0.7) 71 (2.2) 13 (1.8)
                                             
2012                                            
All students 100 (†) 306 (0.8) 263 (3.6) 272 (1.5) 290 (1.3) 305 (1.0) 334 (0.8) (†) 96 (0.3) 60 (1.2) 7 (0.5)
Sex                                            
Male 49 (0.5) 308 (1.0) 266 (4.4) 276 (1.7) 293 (1.6) 308 (1.1) 337 (1.2) (†) 95 (0.4) 62 (1.3) 9 (0.8)
Female 51 (0.5) 304 (0.8) (†) 267 (2.0) 287 (1.3) 302 (1.1) 331 (1.0) (†) 96 (0.4) 58 (1.4) 5 (0.6)
Race/ethnicity                                            
White 56 (1.6) 314 (1.0) 268 (5.2) 278 (2.1) 298 (1.8) 311 (1.2) 337 (0.8) (†) 98 (0.3) 70 (1.6) 9 (0.7)
Black 13 (1.2) 288 (1.3) (†) 260 (2.7) 280 (1.6) 290 (1.0) 317 (2.5) (†) 90 (1.0) 34 (2.0) 1 (0.3)
Hispanic 22 (1.5) 294 (1.1) (†) 269 (2.5) 284 (1.4) 296 (1.0) 324 (2.0) (†) 93 (0.6) 43 (1.9) 2 (0.4)
Other1 8 (0.8) 318 (2.4) (†) (†) 293 (3.7) 308 (2.4) 338 (2.1) (†) 98 (0.8) 73 (3.0) 14 (2.3)
—Not available.
†Not applicable.
#Rounds to zero.
‡Reporting standards not met (too few cases for a reliable estimate).
1 Includes Asians/Pacific Islanders and American Indians/Alaska Natives.
NOTE: Scale ranges from 0 to 500. Students scoring 200 (or higher) have a considerable understanding of two-digit numbers and know some basic multiplication and division facts. Students scoring 250 have an initial understanding of the four basic operations and are developing an ability to analyze simple logical relations. Students scoring 300 can perform reasoning and problem solving involving fractions, decimals, percents, elementary geometry, and simple algebra. Students scoring 350 can perform reasoning and problem solving involving geometry, algebra, and beginning statistics and probability. Includes public and private schools. For assessment years prior to 2004, accommodations were not permitted. For 2004 and later years, includes students tested with accommodations; excludes only those students with disabilities and English language learners who were unable to be tested even with accommodations (1 to 4 percent of all students, depending on age and assessment year). Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), NAEP Trends in Academic Progress, 1996 and 1999; and 2004, 2008, and 2012 Long-Term Trend Mathematics Assessments, retrieved June 4, 2009, and August 12, 2013, from the Long-Term Trend NAEP Data Explorer (http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/naepdata/). (This table was prepared August 2013.)

2015 Tables and Figures All Years of Tables and Figures Most Recent Full Issue of the Digest