While boys and girls start kindergarten on roughly equal footing in math, boys consistently gain ground during the kindergarten year and continue pulling ahead through fifth grade, according to new research from the Brookings Institution.
Researchers note that despite years of public debate on whether schools disadvantage young boys — who have worse outcomes in school on average across a range of indicators including grades, reading scores, behavioral skills, and disciplinary, graduation and college enrollment rates — they actually start school on even footing with girls in math, and by the end of elementary school, hold a clear advantage.
According to the report, kindergarten has been identified as a period where boys may “uniquely struggle,” with many arguing that the “mismatch between academically oriented kindergarten classes and boys’ slower cognitive maturation contributes to boys falling behind academically once they enter school.”
However, the reality doesn’t appear to be so cut and dry when analyzing achievement gaps. Researchers examined MAP Growth data from nearly 12 million students across nine kindergarten cohorts — 2016–17 through 2024–25 — to determine how math achievement differs between boys and girls through elementary school.
Ultimately, the data show a growing math advantage for boys, which was stable across these cohorts and persists regardless of pandemic disruptions. Meanwhile, girls enter kindergarten with a sizable advantage in reading that narrows only slightly and remains largely unchanged through elementary school, suggesting schools neither widen nor close those gaps.
“Our study points toward a more nuanced reality that is often missed in the ‘boys crisis’ framing: Boys and girls face different challenges in school, and both need targeted support,” researchers wrote. “Girls may have a head start in reading and social and behavioral skills, but they are more likely to face challenges with mental health issues later on and may need extra support and role models in science and math areas. Boys’ behavioral challenges and lower graduation rates highlight that there are still aspects of schools that do not adequately serve boys’ needs. The goal is not to erase differences but to ensure that all students — regardless of gender — have equitable opportunities to thrive.”
To better address the unique challenges faced by boys and girls, the report recommends addressing negative stereotypes about boys’ reading skills held by students and teachers alike and intervening early if boys are off-track to read by third grade. For girls, it is crucial to provide role models and mentorship in science and math and train teachers to recognize gender stereotypes related to math and girls’ math anxiety.
