New Jersey's High Graduation Rate Hides Math Readiness Gap for College Students
News related to:Collaborative for Student Success · 2 min read
NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J., Sept. 15, 2026 /CourierPR/ -- The Collaborative for Student Success has released a new report that challenges New Jersey's record-high high school graduation rates, highlighting a significant gap in math readiness among college-bound students. The remaining students either passed through easier alternative tests or a subjective portfolio review.
This discrepancy is particularly evident at Rutgers University-New Brunswick, where nearly one-third of incoming freshmen placed below Calculus, often at the Algebra level, in 2025. In 2019, this number was just a quarter of the freshmen. The report also points out that New Jersey allows students to meet the math requirement with an SAT Math section score of 440, while the College Board's own research suggests a score of 530 is needed for a 75 percent chance of earning a C or better in a corresponding college math course.
Jim Cowen, Executive Director of the Collaborative for Student Success, emphasized the importance of transparency.
The report draws on data from community colleges across the state, showing that remediation rates have fallen over the same period that underlying math skills have declined. This suggests that the systems used to evaluate student readiness in high school and through college admissions are failing to correctly determine students' preparedness for college-level math.
Chad Aldeman, the report's author, highlighted the need for higher standards. "That so many of them are still placing into remedial math at Rutgers isn't a reflection on the students. It's a sign that the state isn't holding them to sufficiently high standards throughout K-12."
The report recommends several measures to address the issue, including adopting a single, fixed math graduation benchmark, publishing annual state test results faster, directing intervention resources to early grades, and considering a "college-ready" diploma track paired with guaranteed placement into college-level coursework at any New Jersey public college or university.
The findings of the report have significant implications for New Jersey's education system and the future success of its students. By addressing the math readiness gap, the state can better prepare its students for the challenges of higher education and potentially save millions of dollars annually in remedial coursework costs.