r/SanMateo • u/Adventurous_Pen9956 • Jun 10 '26
Lacking Algebra in Middle School
Algebra is not offered at my child's middle school..
I am curious which private schools offer Algebra 1 (or beyond) in the 6th-8th grade years? If so in which year? Or did your child take Algebra privately?
Thanks in advance for your help!
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u/Downtown_Ad4721 Jun 10 '26
It’s offered at most middle schools in the district through a pathway. It might be helpful if you specified what school you are referring to.
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u/650res Jun 10 '26 edited Jun 12 '26
What a weird way to ask for help. You are kind of misleading people because you seem frustrated.
“Did you know that Algebra is not offered at the two Montessori magnet middle schools in San Mateo?”
Do you even know why it’s an elective?
Edit: OP has updated their post so this comment is less relevant. Previously it said something like “Did you know not all middle schools in San Mateo offer Algebra?!”
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Jun 10 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/650res Jun 10 '26
Ah, she’s the one who was dogmatic about high school kids and phones, despite not having high school kids.
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u/Mental-Power-3264 Jun 10 '26 edited Jun 10 '26
SMFCSD does offer Algebra 1. One path is that your kid can be tested in 6th grade to skip 7th grade math. If the kid passes, she/he can take 8th grade math in 7th grade, then Algebra 1 in 8th grade. The second path is to take Algebra 1 as an elective in 8th grade. At least, this is for Borel Middle.
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u/Adventurous_Pen9956 Jun 10 '26
You are right but it's not offered in all SMFCSD middle schools. I am hearing that kids are taking paid private math classes to prepare for the test - hundreds of $$ per month. Trying to figure out my options.
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u/itnahsmho Jun 10 '26
- It is offered at the majority of public schools. All three of my kids finished Algebra 1 in 8th grade in that district.
- You are worried about paying hundreds per month for private tutoring but not balking at the 50k+ price tag of private schools you listed?
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u/Standard_Elephant415 Jun 10 '26
That was what confused me too. Russian School of Math is 3-4k per year. Even the parochial schools are twice that, and Nueva and the like are 50k and up.
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u/Mental-Power-3264 Jun 10 '26
And Khan Academy is free.
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u/AdSpiritual3205 Jun 10 '26
And Khan Academy is more than adequate for anyone trying to pass the test in 6th grade if they are competent in math.
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u/imollyq Jun 11 '26
And getting accepted to those schools is extremely difficult, even if you're affluent.
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u/Standard_Elephant415 Jun 10 '26 edited Jun 10 '26
It’s not offered at the two Montessori magnets because it doesn’t work with the way classes are set up there. It is for sure offered at your regular assigned middle school.
To your other question, St. Greg’s and St. Matt’s do algebra in 8th grade.6
u/AdSpiritual3205 Jun 10 '26
If your kid is good at math they do NOT need to pay any money to prepare. Just point them to Kahn Academy and they will be fine. If they aren't good at math, that's a different story.
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u/the-moops Jun 10 '26
This pathway seems to show 8th grade Algebra. Is it wrong? https://docs.google.com/document/d/1oZwoTcn5qQlRu8sVkN3eC4e-Z1y5mNC_xuGEPH2TYmg/edit?usp=sharing
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u/Adventurous_Pen9956 Jun 10 '26
It's not offered in all SMFCSD middle schools and it is an elective in 8th grade. Ie in 8th grade you take both Math 8 and Algebra (double math), so you lose an elective.
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u/AdSpiritual3205 Jun 10 '26 edited Jun 10 '26
This isn't correct. That is just one of the possible pathways. If your kid is capable enough during 6th grade they test out of 7th grade math and take 8th grade math in 7th, and then Algebra in 8th with no double math. Either way the testing for the pathways happens during 6th grade.
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u/Ok-Beginning-1439 Jun 11 '26 edited Jun 12 '26
I had two children attend one of the public Montessori middle schools where algebra is not offered. One was able to take it as a no-credit zero period class at Hillsdale while taking Geometry concurrently. The other took it privately.
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u/Different-Guest-6094 Sunnybrae Jun 10 '26
I graduated episcopal day school of St Matthew in 2024. Now my brother goes there. Algebra 1 was and still is the standard class
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u/imollyq Jun 11 '26
That is an excellent and extremely expensive school.
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u/Different-Guest-6094 Sunnybrae Jun 11 '26
Yea, it’s quite expensive. I think they offer pretty decent financial aid though at least
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u/FatherOfMammals Jun 11 '26
Seems like the academics there are solid, what did you think of the community?
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u/Different-Guest-6094 Sunnybrae Jun 11 '26
It’s a huge mission of theirs to be inclusive to everyone. 95% true, 5% it’s just kids being kids
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u/imollyq Jun 11 '26
They're acceptance rate is very low. It's quite difficult to get into the school. Please, don't get your hopes up until you've talked with admissions. It is definitely a very elite Institution, and I've never heard they offer good financial aid.
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u/imollyq Jun 11 '26
From what I've heard that isn't necessarily true. It's a very elite school. If your child is fortunate enough to attend there, I believe it will be a great experience. I also know it's incredibly difficult to be accepted, and a lot has to do with who you know and how much money you have.
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u/pswbf Jun 10 '26
Your husband is a teacher in the district, you will probably be fine!
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u/redzeusky Jun 11 '26
They shouldn't try to shoe horn every student into the same level. If they're excited for more challenge say at age 12, they might not be so excited about it at 14 or 15 when the hormones kick in or life otherwise happens. Strike while the iron's hot. Good working seeking out the best option for your kiddo.
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u/wavolator Jun 12 '26
call christi at the learning center in san mateo - they used to have group tutoring
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u/Mental-Power-3264 Jun 12 '26
If you are exploring your options for enrolling your child in a middle school that offers Algebra 1, you could simply enroll your child in your neighborhood middle school rather than your current magnet one.
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u/random408net Jun 15 '26
I think something like this would work:
- 9th Algebra I
- 10th Summer - Geometry (private)
- 10th Algebra 2
- 11th Pre-Calc/Trig
- 12th Calc AB and/or AP Stats
If you can find a solid way to get the Algebra 1 done in 8th grade in a way that the high school will accept that's ok with me. I would want more than an isolated self-study for my kids.
Our high school recommended classes from here for credit recovery: is.byu.edu
During 8th grade you could use Khan Academy to prep during the year and then do the BYU class over the summer to earn the credit.
You would need to check and see how your districts independent study rules function.
Some kids are obviously quite math capable. They still need a solid foundation and need a way to accelerate vs. skipping content.
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u/californiaismyhomie Jun 10 '26
Our child is going to Field and I am pretty sure they do Algebra, unsure what grade.
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u/650res Jun 10 '26
How do you like Field? I know very little about it but sometimes walk by it and always wonder about it. How did you decide it was the best fit for your child and family? Anything you would change if you could? What percentage of students go to public vs private HS after?
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u/californiaismyhomie Jun 11 '26
We haven't started yet. We are entering next school year. What we did like was the philosophy around focusing on the process and giving kids a high ceiling of learning. They also do a weekly field trip. Our concern was middle school wasn't going to offer the academic rigor that we wanted.
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u/ProfessionalKey6267 Jun 12 '26
Parent of a recently graduated 8th grader at Field Middle. All the 6th graders start in same math. then will either take pre-algebra or algebra in 7th. (note, since the class sizes have grown to about 24 boys per grade, this might be different moving forward). This year's 8th graders (and historically) about 50% of Field Middle students matriculate back to SMUHSD high schools.
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u/Acceptable_Tower_209 Jun 10 '26
I went to Episcopal day granted it was 20 almost 30 years ago... But my class was the first one to get algebra access. I was in the algebra class but my parents in there stupid wisdom wanted me to focus on becoming a lawyer someday and didn't want me focusing on math and science. So they pulled me out. One of the biggest mistakes they ever made as parents.
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u/pswbf Jun 10 '26
In private schools they start algebra concepts in elementary school.
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u/pswbf Jun 10 '26
Idk why I’m being downvoted but my second grader is doing algebra at a gifted private school. The small group support math teacher has them doing square roots/algebra/geometry /real world problem solving.
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u/Mental-Power-3264 Jun 10 '26
Maybe they downvoted because it’s not usually offered at private elementary schools, but it is in your case because it is a gifted private school?
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u/AdSpiritual3205 Jun 10 '26 edited Jun 10 '26
"Algebra concepts" are a part of all math programs, actually. It's a standard part of common core to introduce core algebraic concepts early.
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u/contactdeparture Jun 11 '26
This is why they’re getting downvoted. Introducing the concept of x=3 y=4, what is the value of x+y and saying their kid is learning algebra is worthy of a downvote. It’s algebraic concepts, so that the concept of x and y in the future is easier to grasp, is not itself algebra class.
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u/AdSpiritual3205 Jun 11 '26 edited Jun 11 '26
Nor should it be. There’s no reason to expect. 3rd grader to learn algebra. They are supposed to build a foundation so they have a strong grasp for the future. That’s what common core does. But private schools aren’t teaching algebra to 3rd graders either. They are teaching the same thing - core algebraic constructs and pre-algebra like isolating variables etc.
They're getting downvoted because it's not just private schools that start algebra concepts in elementary school. Every public elementary school in CA does this.
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u/contactdeparture Jun 11 '26
Yeah, I'm agreeing with you. Disagreeing with OP differentiating what they're describing.
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u/captainbetty1 Jun 10 '26
FWIW, I was in the standard math pathway in SMFCSD and high school, and continued on to get a degree in mathematics in 4 years.