A new Education Week report highlights how middle and high school math struggles are proving hardest to fix, driven by persistent foundational gaps and worsening student motivation as lessons become more complex. In an EdWeek Research Center survey of 729 educators and administrators, middle school was rated the most challenging grade span for students reaching math proficiency. The report ties the severity of the challenge to the subject’s “hierarchical” structure: students often need both procedural fluency and conceptual understanding to progress beyond basic operations into problem-solving. Teachers describe rising math anxiety around the time curricula shift, alongside absenteeism and reduced engagement. The survey also finds the stakes extend into high school: 40% of respondents said high school students face severe or very severe challenges in math, mirroring declines on national assessments. The piece frames the problem as an instructional pipeline failure, not a single grade-level issue—suggesting districts will need earlier, sustained supports to prevent compounding deficits that later remediation cannot fully address.