New Brunswick·New
An international survey of the math competencies of 15-year-olds shows a steady decline for the past two decades, and one that is particularly acute in New Brunswick. UNB researchers say this “mudslide of competencies” is coming at a time when those same skills are needed to drive the “knowledge economy.”
Decades-long, nationwide decline is most severe in N.B., says researcher
Erica Butler · CBC News
· Posted: Sep 28, 2026 5:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 27 minutes ago
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Results of an international educational survey shows declines in math competencies among 15-year-olds, posing challenges for today’s “knowledge economy,” said researchers. (Oseremen Irete/CBC)
A University of New Brunswick researcher says the math skills of Canadian youth have dropped significantly over the past two decades.
In New Brunswick, the decline looks like an “avalanche.”
Lucia Tramonte said that in 2003 about 14 per cent of New Brunswick 15-year-olds fell below a United Nations numeracy standard and could not perform basic mathematics. By 2025, that share had more than doubled to 38.5 per cent.
That means two out of every five 15-year-olds “are functioning somehow at Grade 4-level math skills,” said Tramonte.
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