The Access Problem in Advanced Math Is Well Documented. Here's What Closing It Looks Like in the Largest Districts
This article was written for Whiteboard Notes by W/A Vice President and National Math Improvement Project Director Hillary Rinaldi.
As 2026 continues to trend as the “year of math,” debates within the math world are taking on more nuance. How are districts making sure that students are reaching their maximum potential in math coursework?
A growing number of states are answering that question with automatic enrollment policies—placing students into advanced math coursework by default once they meet academic criteria, rather than requiring a parent, counselor, or teacher to opt them in. North Carolina (2018), Texas (2023), Arizona (2026), and others have already enacted versions of this policy, and more states are expected to follow next legislative session. The logic is straightforward: students who are ready for advanced math are too often left out of it simply because no one enrolled them, not because they can't do the work.
A recent report from Just Equations found that Black students make up 15% of the public school population but just 6% of AP math enrollment, and that Black adults represent 12% of the U.S. workforce but only 9% of the STEM workforce. The report traces part of that gap to middle school: as many as 39% of middle schools still don't offer 8th grade Algebra I, and the schools that do are less likely to serve high concentrations of Black and Hispanic students in the first place. Access to that single course is one of the clearest predictors of who ends up on track for calculus and who doesn't.
“We lose new ideas, perspectives, and solutions that could benefit everyone,” said Dr. Lya Snell, Director of Building Capacity for Innovation at the Dana Center. “We lose potential. Every student deserves the opportunity to see themselves as capable of succeeding in these fields. Investing in and believing in Black learners strengthens innovation, creates a more inclusive workforce, and helps ensure that the future of STEM reflects the diversity of the communities it serves.”
While state policy is opening the door to new math options for many students, districts are the ones responsible for walking students through it, and some are already doing it well. The National Math Improvement Project (NMIP) was hosted by Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) earlier this month to visit math summer school classes and discuss this very problem. Across the six districts in the NMIP community of practice, all have made concerted efforts to expand access to Algebra I in 8th grade, with significant gains already demonstrated in Chicago. According to LAUSD, roughly 30,000 middle schoolers across the district currently meet the criteria for an accelerated pathway, and will be encouraged to enroll in the fall.
Automatic enrollment is a policy mechanism that many states are enacting, and the NMIP districts provide a reminder that policy alone doesn't close the access gap. Implementation, often dependent on critical but unglamorous infrastructure (data dashboards, staffing, summer seats), and student motivation look like the keys to successful auto-enrollment programs. As more states move towards enacting these policies, it will be on districts to implement comprehensive systems of support for students, teachers, and counselors to expand opportunities and ensure success.
