K12 school leaders work hard to make mathematics courses more accessible to more students. But some students will continue to hold themselves back until they’re able to manage a personal hurdle: math anxiety.
We know math anxiety plagues kids thanks to researchers, educators, and personal experiences of students themselves. Research tells us a great number of people report feeling nervous about math, but for 17–18 percent of students (Lutenberger, et. al., 2018), this nervousness presents as math anxiety that kneecaps achievement. Some studies have placed this number closer to 25 percent of students.
Math already requires a high level of fluency: “the ability to apply procedures efficiently, within a short amount of time, and with minimal effort (Lutenberger, et al., 2018).” Fluency in basic math facts including addition, subtraction, and multiplication, frees up working memory so the brain can tackle higher-level math concepts.
The more anxiety crowds the minds of budding mathematicians, the less likely it is they’re going to succeed at any level of math. In fact, as anxiety steals the focus of the deep and frequent math practice needed to succeed, students risk learning maladaptive learning behaviors to cope with their discomfort, leading to more procrastination, less organization, and a self-fulfilling prophecy confirming to the student they’re just not a “math person.”
Educators can buoy struggling math students
Math anxiety won’t disappear after graduation. A meta-analysis of 747 studies conducted between 1992 and 2018 show a statistically significant correlation between math anxiety and math achievement (Barroso, C., et al., 2021). And, while gender cannot affect math performance, more girls than boys experience math anxiety. As boys made gains in math, their experience of math anxiety was lower. The same could not be said for girls. Dr. David Geary, who studied math anxiety in his role as a cognitive scientist and evolutionary psychologist at the University of Missouri, explained. “Even when girls were excelling in math, it didn’t buffer their math anxiety,” Geary told the American Psychological Association.Easing math anxiety requires a level of perception, care, scaffolding, and finesse that takes a lot of time and effort in a classroom. Similar to universal design in technology, making some subtle changes for the good of the entire group can do wonders for struggling students no matter what barrier they have faced.
Identify and ease educator anxiety
Math anxiety can begin in early childhood, although it usually emerges as students begin to tackle higher level math in middle grades. However, as 77 percent of teachers are women, students are statistically more likely to encounter an anxious math teacher in early grades, potentially informing their own opinions and self-concept. If teachers aren’t math fans and show it, that is a recipe for unearthing math anxiety early.Administrative teams can address this type of bias in professional development, coaching, and checking in for math anxiety in their staff, not just their students.
Redefine who is and isn’t a math person
Anyone can learn math, but not everyone believes that fact.Therefore, the onus is on school staff, teachers, and administrators to circulate this idea and uphold it.
Countering the opinion that a student “just isn’t a math person,” could be the first step to getting an anxious learner to just try a harder problem, even though anxiety is screaming that they cannot do it. Challenging the prevailing misinformation is about to be a full-time gig, so we might as well practice on math bias.
Change math vocabulary
In higher education, an interesting experiment leads math professors to confront the so-called “math wars” (the debate over who really belongs in high-level math courses) by using plain language instead of jargon. Professors start by showing real-world careers that use calculus. Animators making computer-generated illustrations of lifelike figures. Medical professionals measuring how the heart beats. Instead of beginning with tough equations and calling this work by its traditional name, differential calculus, professors instead deliberately called these complicated mathematical processes “change equations.” Educators found it inspiring to focus on the possibilities rather than prerequisites.Reinforce the diversity of skillsets required in the workplace
Finally, in a time when students face immense pressure to be a scholar of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), those who struggle with math and math anxiety can find reassurance in their strengths. Whether a student goes on to a career in STEM or not, certain skills will help with any role: communication, perseverance, problem-solving, the list goes on. As the anxiety quells, students realize the stakes aren’t as high as they look (“Better pass math or I’ll never amount to anything”) because all kinds of skills are required for a healthy workplace.It's okay if math doesn’t click right away
Math doesn’t ever have to be relegated to a pass/fail mindset, although that’s what’s going on in students’ minds when faced with this challenge. There’s value in reaching out to students to gauge their level of math anxiety. It could have an impact on their entire K12 career—and far beyond.Educators have the power to ease, maybe even eradicate, math anxiety’s grip on students.
Barroso, C., Ganley, C. M., McGraw, A. L., Geer, E. A., Hart, S. A., & Daucourt, M. C. (2021). A meta-analysis of the relation between math anxiety and math achievement. Psychological Bulletin, 147(2), 134–168. https://doi.org/10.1037/bul0000307
Luttenberger, S., Wimmer, S., & Paechter, M. (2018). Spotlight on math anxiety. Psychology Research and Behavior Management, 11, 311–322. https://doi.org/10.2147/PRBM.S141421
Mollenkamp, D. (2023, September 5). The math revolution you haven’t heard about. EdSurge. Retrieved August 20, 2025, from https://www.edsurge.com/news/2023-09-05-the-math-revolution-you-haven-t-heard-about
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Erin Werra Blogger, Researcher, and Edvocate |
Erin Werra is a content writer and strategist at Skyward’s Advancing K12 blog. Her writing about K12 edtech, data, security, social-emotional learning, and leadership has appeared in THE Journal, District Administration, eSchool News, and more. She enjoys puzzling over details to make K12 edtech info accessible for all. Outside of edtech, she’s waxing poetic about motherhood, personality traits, and self-growth.
