EQAO released its 2025-26 results on September 25, 2026. More Ontario students met the provincial math standard in Grades 3, 6 and 9 than a year earlier, yet about half of Grade 6 students are still below it. If your child wrote an EQAO assessment last spring, here is how to read the numbers and what to do with them this fall.
English-language schools, 2025-26. Source: EQAO, September 2026
What did the 2025-26 EQAO results show?
In English-language schools, 65 per cent of Grade 3 students, 52 per cent of Grade 6 students and 59 per cent of Grade 9 students met the provincial math standard in 2025-26, each one point higher than in 2024-25. Literacy stayed strong: 86 per cent of Grade 6 students met the reading standard and 85 per cent met the writing standard (EQAO, September 2026).
Meeting the provincial standard means reaching Level 3 or 4, which EQAO compares to a letter grade of B or higher. Grade 3 reading rose to 75 per cent and Grade 3 writing to 67 per cent. In high school, 86 per cent of first-time eligible students were successful on the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT).
Why math still needs attention
EQAO's own summary is that math has grown slowly over time but "remains an area requiring attention." Its cohort tracking follows the same students from grade to grade. Of the students who wrote EQAO in Grade 3 in 2022-23 and again in Grade 6 in 2025-26, 46 per cent met the math standard both times and 7 per cent rose to it, while 15 per cent dropped below it and 32 per cent never met it.
There is a hopeful number in the Grade 6 report too. Of the 41 per cent of students who reached Level 2 in math, more than half were at a high Level 2, close to the standard, and had shown most of the skills needed for later grades (EQAO Grade 6 highlights, 2026). For many children, the gap is a few specific skills, not the whole subject.
How children feel about math matters as well. Only 48 per cent of Grade 6 students said they like math and 51 per cent think they are good at it, yet 88 per cent believe a person can always get better at math. That belief is worth building on at home.
What the Ministry of Education plans next
In a statement on the results, Minister of Education Paul Calandra said the Ministry will work directly with every school board to review its Student Achievement Plan, monitor progress and report back regularly. He pointed to the independent advisory body on student achievement and assessment appointed earlier this year, and asked EQAO to look into a significant increase in the number of students exempted from the assessments in some school boards (Ontario Newsroom, September 2026).
For families, the practical point is that boards will be looking closely at their local results this year. It is a good time to ask your school what supports are planned for your child's grade.
Students with special education needs
EQAO reports that achievement gaps for students with special education needs persist across grades. In Grade 6, 25 per cent of students identified with special education needs (excluding gifted) met the math standard, compared with 63 per cent in reading and 63 per cent in writing (EQAO Grade 6 highlights, 2026).
If your child has an IEP, ask the school which accommodations were used during the assessment, and whether the same supports are in place in class every day. According to the Ministry, exemptions are meant only for students who cannot complete an assessment even with permitted accommodations.
How to use your child's EQAO results this fall
- Start with your child's Individual Student Report, which gives an overview of their achievement.
- Read it next to the report card. EQAO is a snapshot from a few assessment sessions, while the report card reflects the whole term. Our guide to Ontario report cards and the fall progress report checklist explain what to look for.
- Ask the teacher about one skill. "Which part of math is holding my child back?" gets a more useful answer than "How is my child doing?"
- Keep practice short and regular. Ten minutes a day on the skill the teacher names does more than one long weekend session, and EQAO says no extra preparation beyond regular classwork is needed for the assessments themselves.
- Get targeted help if the same gap keeps showing up on both the report card and the EQAO report.
If your teen is in Grade 9 this year, keep in mind that the Grade 9 math assessment counts toward the final mark in their Grade 9 math course (EQAO, 2025). For last year's figures, see our look at the 2024-25 EQAO results.
| Assessment | 2023-24 | 2024-25 | 2025-26 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 3 reading | 71% | 74% | 75% |
| Grade 3 writing | 64% | 65% | 67% |
| Grade 3 math | 61% | 64% | 65% |
| Grade 6 reading | 82% | 86% | 86% |
| Grade 6 writing | 80% | 85% | 85% |
| Grade 6 math | 50% | 51% | 52% |
| Grade 9 math | 54% | 58% | 59% |
| OSSLT, first-time eligible | 85% | 85% | 86% |
Share of English-language students meeting the provincial standard (Levels 3 and 4); OSSLT shows the share who were successful. Source: EQAO, September 2026
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