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 eliminated 8th-grade algebra in 2014.
— Jake (@JakeCan72) March 28, 2026
The stated goal: give minority students extra time to learn basic math.
8th-grade math proficiency in 2017: 51%.
By 2023: 40%.
It took a ballot initiative and a 4-3 vote to reverse it.
Ten years. One generation of students.… pic.twitter.com/L8In2ojKG5
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."
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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.
California spends more on education than nearly any other state.
— Steve Hilton For Governor (@TeamSteveHilton) August 27, 2025
Yet, our students face some of the worst outcomes in the nation. pic.twitter.com/9iwLZgtTLT
Good teachers need to be rewarded and bad teachers need to be fired.
— Steve Hilton For Governor (@TeamSteveHilton) August 24, 2025
We are going to change education for the better and root out teachers that don't accelerate growth. pic.twitter.com/DwDZmXMrjT
We need to DOGE California’s education system.
— Steve Hilton For Governor (@TeamSteveHilton) March 18, 2025
The rates of basic literacy for children have been declining for decades.
This is more proof that centralized education is a failure.
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