More High School Students Enrolling in Math Courses
April 16, 1998
| Note to Editors: In recognition that April is Mathematics Education Month, ACT Inc. is providing this information on trends in mathematics course-taking. The data are from systematic 10-percent samples of ACT-tested members of the high-school classes of 1987-97 who reported that they had taken, were taking or planned, before graduating, to take geometry, algebra II, trigonometry or calculus. |
IOWA CITY, Iowa—According to figures released today by ACT Inc., many more U.S. high school students are taking courses in mathematics than was the case a decade ago. The portion of college-bound students taking calculus, for example, increased from 16 percent in 1987 to 23 percent in 1997.
In addition, nearly all college-bound students, 93 percent, now take geometry, and 89 percent take second-year algebra.
"Mathematics is a key subject in opening doors to a wider array of academic and career options," said Wes Habley, director of the ACT Center for the Enhancement of Educational Practices, "and this latest ACT research suggests that students are getting the message that they need more math courses to better prepare themselves for college and for an increasingly technological world of work."
Since 1987, the greatest increase, 13 percent, has come in the number of students taking algebra II, while the number of students taking the most popular course, geometry, has increased 8 percent. The smallest increase, 5 percent, is seen in the number of college-bound students taking trigonometry.
Percentages of U.S. College-Bound Students Taking Selected High-School Mathematics Courses, 1987-97
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