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What grade do kids learn algebra? Every US state, compared

We mapped all 26,278 skills in the 2026-27 math standards of every state and DC to find when kids meet ten milestones, from ratios to the Pythagorean theorem.

By the Kneade team · · 6 min read

The short answer
Algebra starts in 6th grade with one-step equations, becomes real equation solving in 7th, and ends middle school in 8th with slope, functions, systems and the Pythagorean theorem. Algebra 1 is 9th grade, or 8th for students placed ahead.
51
standards documents, every state plus DC
26,278
individual skills mapped, K to 12
10
middle school milestones tracked
78
curricula read across the US, Canada, Australia, NZ and the UK

Middle school algebra, year by year

What arrives in each grade in most states, with the kind of problem your child will see.

6th
ages 11 to 12
Ratios
3 : 2
Negative numbers
-5 < -2
One-step equations
x + 5 = 12
Dividing fractions
3/4 ÷ 1/8
7th
ages 12 to 13
Operations with negatives
-7 + 3 = -4
Two-step equations
3x + 4 = 19
Proportions
y = 1.5x
8th
ages 13 to 14
Slope
rise over run
Systems of equations
y = x + 1
Pythagorean theorem
a² + b² = c²
Scientific notation
3.2 × 10⁵
High school
Algebra 1, age 14+
Quadratics
x² - 5x + 6 = 0
Functions in depth
f(x) = 2x + 1

Key findings

51/51
Two universal milestones. Every state teaches two-step equations in 7th grade and the Pythagorean theorem in 8th.
38
states run on the Common Core clock for all ten milestones, including states that dropped the name.
6
states leave systems of equations to high school: KS, NE, ND, OK, SC and VA.
45
of 51 states list more skills in 6th grade than in any other year from kindergarten to 8th.
Figure 1
When each milestone arrives, across 51 standards
Dot size and number: how many of the 51 teach it first in that grade. Hover or tap for the states.
Common Core gradeEarlierLaterNot in K-8
5th6th7th8thHigh schoolNot in K-8
Ratios150
Fraction ÷150
Negatives51
Neg. ops645
2-step eq.51
Slope546
Functions501
Systems456
Pythag.51
Sci. notation1473
Source: Kneade analysis of the 2026-27 math standards of the 50 states and DC

Quick answers

What grade is pre-algebra?

6th to 7th
No state has a grade called pre-algebra. It is the content of 6th and 7th grade. A course named Pre-Algebra usually sits the year before Algebra 1.

What grade do you learn the Pythagorean theorem?

8thall 51
The most consistent milestone we found, and the same school year in Australia, England, New Zealand and most of Canada.

What grade do you learn slope?

8th46 of 51
Georgia, Indiana, North Carolina, Oklahoma and Virginia name it a year earlier, as the steepness of y = mx.

When do kids learn negative numbers?

6thall 51
Calculating with them is 7th grade in 45 states and 6th in FL, NC, OK, SC, TX and VA. England starts at age 8.

What grade do you learn to divide fractions?

6th50 of 51
Fraction by fraction. 5th grade covers a unit fraction and a whole number. Indiana does it all in 5th; Canada waits until Grade 8.

When do kids learn systems of equations?

8th45 of 51
Six states leave it to Algebra 1. Wyoming keeps it in 8th grade, but only by graphing.

State by state

Figure 2
Which states move which milestones
13 states differ from Common Core on at least one milestone. Pick a milestone; hover or tap a state.
Same as Common Core1 milestone moved23 or 4
Source: Kneade analysis of the 2026-27 math standards of the 50 states and DC
See the 13 states as a table
StateRatiosFraction ÷NegativesNeg. ops2-step eq.SlopeFunctionsSystemsPythag.Sci. notation
Florida6666788888
Georgia6667778888
Indiana656777888not in K-8
Kansas6667788HS88
Minnesota5667788888
Nebraska666778HSHS88
North Carolina6666778888
North Dakota6667788HS88
Oklahoma6666778HS88
South Carolina6666788HS8not in K-8
Texas6666788888
Virginia6666778HS87
Wyoming666778888not in K-8
See all 50 states and DC
StateRatiosFraction ÷NegativesNeg. ops2-step eq.SlopeFunctionsSystemsPythag.Sci. notation
Alabama6667788888
Alaska6667788888
Arizona6667788888
Arkansas6667788888
California6667788888
Colorado6667788888
Connecticut6667788888
Delaware6667788888
District of Columbia6667788888
Florida6666788888
Georgia6667778888
Hawaii6667788888
Idaho6667788888
Illinois6667788888
Indiana656777888not in K-8
Iowa6667788888
Kansas6667788HS88
Kentucky6667788888
Louisiana6667788888
Maine6667788888
Maryland6667788888
Massachusetts6667788888
Michigan6667788888
Minnesota5667788888
Mississippi6667788888
Missouri6667788888
Montana6667788888
Nebraska666778HSHS88
Nevada6667788888
New Hampshire6667788888
New Jersey6667788888
New Mexico6667788888
New York6667788888
North Carolina6666778888
North Dakota6667788HS88
Ohio6667788888
Oklahoma6666778HS88
Oregon6667788888
Pennsylvania6667788888
Rhode Island6667788888
South Carolina6666788HS8not in K-8
South Dakota6667788888
Tennessee6667788888
Texas6666788888
Utah6667788888
Vermont6667788888
Virginia6666778HS87
Washington6667788888
West Virginia6667788888
Wisconsin6667788888
Wyoming666778888not in K-8

The heaviest year is 6th grade

Figure 3
Skills listed per grade, average of 51 standards
44 skills in 6th grade, against 39 in 7th and 35 in 8th. Hover a bar for the range across states.
0
25
50
K1st2nd3rd4th5th6th7th8th
Source: Kneade analysis of the 2026-27 math standards of the 50 states and DC, one skill per individual standard

6th grade is where ratios, negative numbers, the four-quadrant graph, variables, equations and statistics all start in the same year. If the start of middle school feels hard, that pile-up is usually why.

Should my child take Algebra 1 in 8th grade?

Districts decide, not the standards. But in 45 states the 8th grade standards already cover linear equations, slope, functions and systems, a large part of Algebra 1. The real test is 7th grade: a child who is solid on two-step equations and negative numbers has the foundation for it.

The US against four other countries

Figure 4
The same milestones in five countries
Most common grade per country, as a US grade equivalent by age (England's Year 9 shows as 8).
United StatesOther countries
US grade34567891011
Negative numbersENGNZUSCAAU
Dividing fractionsUSENGAUCANZ
Two-step equationsNZUSCAAUENG
Systems of equationsUSENGCAAUNZ
Pythagorean theoremUSCAAUENGNZ
Quadratic formulaUSENGAUCANZ
Source: Kneade analysis of current curricula in the US, Canada (13 provinces and territories), Australia (national, 8 states and territories), England and New Zealand

Same arithmetic at the same ages, different algebra clocks: the US and England reach systems of equations two years before Canada, Australia and New Zealand. That is when it is taught, not when it is mastered.

Behind this chart is the same skill-by-skill reading we did for the states: all 13 Canadian provinces and territories, Australia's national curriculum and its 8 states and territories, New Zealand, and England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. 36,996 skills across 78 curricula in all.

How we built this

For each of the 51 US jurisdictions we used the math standards in force for 2026-27, read from the official document (or an exact published copy where a state site would not load), including the recent rewrites in Florida, Indiana, Virginia, Wyoming, South Carolina and Oklahoma. Every standard was broken into its individual skills, 26,278 in all, and each mapped to a common list of topics so 51 differently written documents can be compared.

A milestone's grade is the first grade where a standard explicitly teaches it. Every state that came out different was checked against the standard's own wording. High school is reported only as high school, because those standards are written by course. "Not in K-8" means no K-8 standard teaches it, not that no school does. Skill counts depend on how finely a state writes its standards, so Figure 3 shows a shape, not a workload. Spot an error? info@kneade.com.

Download and cite

Free to reuse with a link back to this page: download the CSV (51 rows, ten milestones).

Kneade (2026). What grade do kids learn algebra? Every US state, compared. kneade.com/blog/what-grade-do-kids-learn-algebra