Mathematics Scores for 4th and 8th Grade Students by Country

How did U.S. fourth- and eighth-graders perform in mathematics in 2003?

Fourth Grade:

• In 2003, U.S. fourth-grade students scored 518, on average, in mathematics, exceeding the international average of 495. U.S. fourth-graders outperformed their peers in 13 of the other 24 participating countries, and performed lower than their peers in 11 countries.

• In comparison to students in the other 10 Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) member countries participating in the fourth-grade TIMSS assessment, U.S. fourth-graders outperformed their peers in mathematics in 5 countries (Australia, Italy, New Zealand, Norway, and Scotland) and were outperformed by their peers in the other 5 countries (Belgium-Flemish, England, Hungary, Japan, and the Netherlands).

Eighth Grade:

• In 2003, U.S. eighth graders scored 504, on average, in mathematics. This average score exceeded the international average as well as the average scores of their peers in 25 of the 44 other participating countries. U.S. eighth graders were outperformed by students in nine countries: five Asian countries (Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong SAR, Japan, Korea, and Singapore) and four European countries (Belgium-Flemish, Estonia, Hungary, and the Netherlands).

• In comparison to their peers in the other 12 OECD-member countries participating in the eighth grade TIMSS assessment, U.S. eighth-graders outperformed students in mathematics in 2 countries (Italy and Norway) and were outperformed by their peers in 5 countries (Belgium-Flemish, Hungary, Korea, Japan, and the Netherlands).