Ontario students have made strides in math compared to last year, but the number of students meeting provincial standards is still quite low, as revealed by new data from standardized tests.
The Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO) its findings from the 2025-26 testing on Friday, providing a glimpse into whether students are hitting provincial curriculum benchmarks in mathematics, reading, and writing.
The data shows a slight increase across all categories in English-language schools.
Math scores have been a key concern for many governments since the percentage of students reaching the provincial standard has stayed low.
For the 2025-26 school year, results indicate that 52 per cent of Grade 6 students met the provincial standard for math, while 65 per cent of Grade 3 students and 59 per cent of Grade 9 students achieved this benchmark.
All these scores have risen by one percentage point from last year.
Grade 6 math scores on EQAO tests have consistently hovered around the 50 per cent mark for years, meaning only about half of the students meet the provincial standard.
A total of over 569,000 students across Ontario were evaluated in Grade 3, Grade 6, and Grade 9 in both English and French-language schools.
Reading and writing skills steady: report
The report indicates that reading and writing abilities among elementary to secondary school students have remained stable, with minor improvements noted over the past three years.
The proportion of Grade 3 students meeting reading and writing standards was at 75 and 67 per cent respectively-an uptick from last year. For Grade 6 students, those figures were consistent at 86 and 85 per cent respectively compared to the previous year.
The Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test typically taken in Grade 10 showed that86 per cent of first-time eligible test-takers met expectations-one percentage point higher than last year.
Results from French-language schools generally outperformed average results found in English-language schools across most categories.
‘Too many students continue to struggle,’ said Education Minister Paul Calandra in a statement responding to the EQAO reports released Friday. (Evan Mitsui/CBC)
‘Too many students continue to struggle’: Calandra
Education Minister Paul Calandra remarked on Friday that while these results are promising, they also highlight areas needing improvement.
“Too many students continue to struggle, achievement gaps persist and results remain uneven across the province,” he stated.
“The results give us valuable information about where progress is being made and where added action is needed,” he explained. “Our responsibility is to use that information to make sure students get the support they need to succeed.”
Following last year’s EQAO findings release, Calandra announced plans for an advisory body aimed at reviewing why improvements aren’t happening faster-examining clarity within curriculum guidelines and learning resources as well as teacher preparedness and student tools available.
This work is ongoing according to Calandra. p >
“The earlier we identify a student who needs additional support , the sooner we can take action.” p >
NDP education critic Chandra Pasma pointed out that low EQAO scores might be due to insufficient funding for schools. p >
“EQAO results are not a reflection of our students ,” she said in a statement. “They are a reflection on this minister of education’s failure to provide students with what they need to succeed.” p >
Ontario Liberal interim Leader John Fraser expressed concerns about these outcomes , calling them “alarming”. p >
“The Ford government has , over the past eight years , allowed our schools and ourstudents to fall behind ,” he mentioned. p >
“Our class sizes are too big , the government has starved special education , and there is a mental health crisis in our schools that is not being addressed.” p>
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