Trump singles out Baltimore schools over math scores while dismantling Department of Education
President Donald Trump singled out Baltimore schools on Thursday for their math achievement scores as the administration begins dismantling the Department of Education.
Mr. Trump signed an executive order that would initiate the process of eliminating the department.
The president used Baltimore schools as an example, citing the district's inept math scores.
"In Baltimore, 40% of the high schools have zero students who can do basic mathematics, not even the very simplest of mathematics," Mr. Trump said. "I said, 'Give me your definition of basic,' and they are talking about adding a few numbers together."
A fact sheet presented by the White House said that 13 Baltimore City schools had no students who were proficient on a state math test in 2023.
WJZ reached out to the Baltimore City schools for comment but has not heard back.
Meanwhile, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore weighed in.
"While the President is busy mocking Maryland students' test scores and trying to shutter the doors of the Department of Education, we're fighting for Maryland's students and educators," Moore said in a statement. "Leadership means lifting people up, not punching down."
What was Mr. Trump referencing?
According to The Baltimore Banner, Mr. Trump is referring to the students' performances on Maryland's Algebra I test, which covers far more than basic math, but also tests students ' knowledge of functions and systems of equations, among other materials.
The Banner reports that Achievement Academy at Harbor City High and Excel Academy at Francis M. Wood High — alternative schools designed to help struggling students catch up — are two schools in the report cited by Mr. Trump, along with Joseph C. Briscoe Academy, which serves students with special needs.
Baltimore City high school students didn't fair well with the Algebra I test administered in the spring of 2023, the Banner reports. The Banner says that around 5,000 students took the test, and fewer than 3% passed, according to data shared by the district.
The data obtained by the Banner showed that Baltimore Polytechnic Institute had the city's best results that year, however, roughly a quarter of the school's students passed.
Baltimore City schools told the Banner that in 2024, the share of Baltimore high school students who passed the Algebra I test grew to nearly 6%.
Focusing on math
The 2024 Nation's Report Card from January showed Baltimore City students made little progress in mathematics and even less in reading proficiency between 2022 and 2024.
According to the report, in 2024, the average math score of 209 for fourth graders in Baltimore City schools was higher than its average of 201 in 2022. The 2024 average was lower than its average score of 222 in 2009, the report shows.
"Our fourth-grade math performance is encouraging. We know our approaches are working, our families are supporting the work, and our staff continue to push boundaries for our young people to reach their potential," said Dr. Sonja Santelises, chief executive officer of City Schools. "Our focus is to continue the momentum of our acceleration efforts to reach more students."
The average eighth-grade math score of 245 was the same as in 2022 and lower than their average of 257 in 2009, per the report.
The national test also revealed score gaps between student groups in 2024. For example, Black students in eighth grade had an average math score that was 39 points lower than the score for White students.
Among fourth graders, students who were identified as being economically disadvantaged had an average score that was 15 points lower than those who were not economically disadvantaged, the test results showed. The performance gap was similar in 2009.
Dr. Santelises said City Schools have been focused on improving math skills. She said they even launched a new curriculum for some students.
"We will go fully across the district this coming school year," she said. "But I think, most importantly, what the families and public can take to heart are some real key pieces. One, the teachers and principals say overwhelmingly it was the professional development."
Graduation rates improving
The 2024 graduation rate for Maryland high schools reached 87.6% in 2024, the highest level since 2017, according to the State Department of Education (MSDE).
The 2024 graduation rate was 1.8 percentage points higher than in the 2022-23 school year. Hispanic students and multilingual learners saw the largest increase among student groups.
The latest data represents students who began high school during the 2020-21 school year, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In Anne Arundel County, the 2024 graduation rate rose by almost one percentage point, compared to 2023, according to data from MSDE.
Baltimore County recorded a high school graduation rate of 85.8% in 2024, an increase of nearly one percentage point from the previous year.
Baltimore City schools had a graduation rate of 71% in 2024, up from 69% in 2023.
What is Maryland's Blueprint?
The Blueprint for Maryland's Future education plan became law in 2021 after the General Assembly overrode a veto of the bill by former Gov. Larry Hogan. The Kirwan Commission was formed in 2016 and worked for three years to develop the Blueprint based on best practices to help the state's poorest schools.
The education plan sought to bolster spending in high-concentration poverty schools and uplift students who need additional services to succeed in underserved districts.
Modified Blueprint plan
Earlier this month, Maryland's House of Delegates voted along party lines to modify parts of Gov. Wes Moore's plan for the Blueprint education plan, according to The Baltimore Banner.
The Banner says the legislation no longer carries some of the reforms sought by Moore, including a multi-year pause on a plan to increase planning time for teachers. Delegates opted for only a one-year pause instead.
The legislation includes programs to recruit and better train teachers, according to the Banner, and state delegates rejected proposed cuts to funding for community schools.
The Banner says state delegates also rejected Moore's proposed cuts to planned increased per-pupil funding for students in poverty and those learning English, and freezing funding levels for community schools, which offer extra services to students and their families in high-poverty neighborhoods.
Pushback against education funding cuts
On March 17, Maryland students and education advocates rallied in front of the State House in opposition to potential cuts in the 2026 proposed budget.
Rally organizers said Gov. Wes Moore's proposed budget includes cuts to education that would strip essential resources from schools and disproportionately impact students with the highest needs.
"It's students from across Maryland coming together under one mission, to fight for education and fight back against a lot of the education cuts," said Riya Gupta, the interim executive director of Strong Schools Maryland.
Students gathered to speak out about cuts to community schools, the Blueprint for Maryland's Future, and disability and behavioral health resources, among others.
"We want (lawmakers) to maintain their promise to the Blueprint," Gupta said. "In 2021, the governor, the legislature, made a promise to students, and now they are here four years later, stepping back on that promise, and we are here fighting against that. I think it is incredible."
Why cut the Department of Education?
Mr. Trump says the United States ranks near the bottom of the world in education.
According to CBS News, Mr. Trump claimed that 70% of eighth graders "are not proficient in either reading or math," and "40% of fourth graders lack even basic reading skills."
The president said that the administration would be returning education "back to the states, where it belongs," CBS News reports.
"We're going to eliminate it, and everybody knows it's right," the president said of the department at the White House Thursday. He added, "We're not doing well with the world of education in this country, and we haven't for a long time."
Mr. Trump's administration, along with the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, has already cut nearly half of the education department's workforce.
CBS News reports that fully eliminating the Department of Education would require an act of Congress.
