BALTIMORE — The Maryland Department of Education is out with results of the 2025-2026 Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program (MCAP).
Each year the state assesses public school students in grades 3 through 8, along with 10th graders to evaluate their progress in mathematics and English Language Arts (ELA).
Overall student proficiency in ELA reached 51.7 percent, up from 50.8 last year.
MORE: Last Year's MCAP results
Math proficiency, meanwhile, sits at 27.1 percent, up from 26.5 percent a year ago.
According to the Department of Education, this year's marks are the highest since the 2021-2022 school year.
SEE ALSO: Maryland Education Dept. overhauls math policies amid student struggle
Despite year-over-year improvements, significant achievement gaps persist, specifically in math.
Statewide — African American and Hispanic students each posted a 14.9 math proficiency rate, compared to their White (42.2%) and Asian (56%) classmates.
For example, in Baltimore City nine percent of African American students were proficient in math, with Hispanic students at 13.4, while Asian and White students were 42 and 48.8 percent proficient respectively.
WMAR-2 News reviewed overall math scores from 10 area school districts from 2024-2025 to 2025-2026. Only Kent County experienced a decline (by nearly two points). Harford County stayed put.
Although improved, Baltimore City remains the lowest scoring school system out of the below listed districts.
Anne Arundel County:
2024-2025: 28.8%
2025-2026: 29.3%
Baltimore County:
2024-2025: 20.7%
2025-2026: 21.9%
Baltimore City:
2024-2025: 12.6%
2025-2026: 13.3%
Carroll County:
2024-2025: 40.5%
2025-2026: 41.9%
Cecil County:
2024-2025: 20.1%
2025-2026: 20.5%
Frederick County:
2024-2025: 36.8%
2025-2026: 38.5%
Harford County:
2024-2025: 28.4%
2025-2026: 28.4%
Howard County:
2024-2025: 42%
2025-2026: 42.1%
Kent County:
2024-2025: 16.3%
2025-2026: 14.6%
Queen Anne's County:
2024-2025: 31.6%
2025-2026: 31.7%
These latest math scores come as Maryland prepares to primarily focus its math testing models on Algebra I and II, all but eliminating geometry starting in 2027-2028.
More breakdown of this year's MCAP scores can be viewed below.
