NYC Public Schools Deceived Me Into Thinking My Son Was a Straight-A Math Student — But He Can’t Do Fractions, Basic Algebra
3rd November 2026
All through middle school my son was, at least on paper, a numbers whiz. His report cards consistently showed A’s — his lowest grade was a B plus. But when he slid down to a 78 on his first exam at a top high school in Queens this fall, I pulled up a chair to help him review for his next test.
I’ll never forget seeing tears well up in my son’s eyes as he was only able to answer the first couple of questions on the worksheet.
He couldn’t solve basic algebra. He couldn’t do geometry. He couldn’t compute elementary-school fractions.