By Mike Anderson
The 2024-2025 provincial math test results released on December 3 by the Education Quality and Accountability Office (EQAO), which administers standardized testing in Ontario schools, show that most elementary and secondary public schools in Georgina failed to meet the provincial math standard.
The notable exception was Black River PS in Sutton, which increased its percentage of Grade 6 students at or above the provincial math standard (Levels 3 & 4) to 75 per cent, up from 21 per cent in 2023-2024.
The 2024-2025 EQAO results clearly show that Grade 9 students in Georgina continue to struggle in math.
While 74 per cent of YDRSB Grade 9 students met the provincial math standard (Level 3), Georgina’s two public high schools, Sutton District HS and Keswick HS, scored considerably below that mark, and even below the provincial average of 58 per cent.
In fact, only 15 per cent of SDHS’s Grade 9 students were at or above the provincial math standard, which is down from 21 per cent last year.
Keswick HS, which achieved only 34 per cent in 2023-2024, also dropped to 29 per cent.
The EQAO Grade 9 math test assesses students’ knowledge of integers, fractions and decimals, algebra, geometry, data collection, organization, and interpretation, and financial literacy.
According to YRDSB, Sutton District HS has been designated a “priority school” by the Ministry of Education.
At SDHS, YRDSB provides a dedicated math consultant who works directly with Grade 9 teachers and Math Leads to co-plan and co-teach lessons.
There are also additional supports for students with special education needs, as well as access to math-specific digital resources for classroom and home use to reinforce learning.
According to EQAO, SDHS has 103 Grade 9 students, with 28 per cent identified as having special education needs. Meanwhile, Keswick HS has 201 Grade 9 students — 32 per cent of whom have special education needs.
EQAO has acknowledged that standardized math testing may not be an effective gauge of their performance.
“Consistent gaps in achievement for students with special education needs warrant further attention,” EQAO states.
“The disparity in achievement between groups of interest – such as students identified with special education needs and those without such identification – persists, highlighting the importance of continued research on and analysis of effective strategies to support identified students better.”
However, students in Georgina’s public elementary schools are also not excelling in math, with most Grade 6 students below the provincial math standard (Levels 3 and 4).
Still, current scores show some improvement over last year’s EQAO math results in at least five elementary schools.
Lakeside PS (Keswick) was 37 per cent (up from 8%); Jersey PS (Keswick) 43 per cent (up from 15%); Lake Simcoe PS (Keswick) 47 per cent (up from 29%); and Sutton PS 29 per cent (up from 23%). However, only Black River PS (Sutton) was above the YRDSB average of 65 per cent, with 75 per cent.
Meanwhile, Grade 6 math scores in six local elementary schools declined further in 2024-2025.
Deer Park PS (Keswick) had 21 per cent of Grade 6 students at or above the provincial standard (down from 25%); R L Graham (Keswick) 17 per cent (down from 41%); W J Watson (Keswick) 16 per cent (down from 27%); Fairwood PS (Keswick) 21 per cent (down from 36%); Keswick PS 40 per cent (down from 59%); and Morning Glory PS (Pefferlaw) 30 per cent (down from 31%).
These scores are considerably below the YRDSB average (65%) and provincial average (51%) of Grade 6 students meeting or exceeding the math standard.
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