WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Thursday issued an executive order, taking his first official step in following through on a campaign pledge to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education.
Trump has long criticized the country's education system, raising concerns about student performance falling behind other nations.
During a signing ceremony, Trump made his point by singling out Baltimore math scores.
“In Baltimore, 40 percent of the high schools have zero students who can do basic mathematics,” Trump said. “Not even the very simplest of mathematics. I said, give me your definition of basic, and they are talking about adding a few numbers together."
While it's unclear exactly what numbers Trump is referring to, the math struggle for Baltimore students has been well documented.
For example, in 2024, Maryland's report card graded only 10.2 percent of students in the entire Baltimore City School District as proficient in math.
For Algebra I the proficiency rate drops to 8.8 percent, and even further to 5 percent for Algebra II.
Despite low overall math grades in 2024, Baltimore City Schools still improved slightly from 2023.
In 2023 only 6.4 percent of Baltimore City students were found to be proficient in Algebra I, with less than five percent proficient in Algebra II, which is where Trump appears to be getting his numbers from.
According to a White House fact sheet, "In 2023, 13 Baltimore, Maryland, high schools had zero students who tested proficient in mathematics."
The President often highlights how the U.S. leads the world in per pupil funding, while ranking well below average in proficiency and results.
During his second term in office, Trump's vowed to return education decisions to the states, including that of school choice.
As it stands now, a good portion of federal school funding dictates local level curriculum.
"Mathematics and reading scores are down in public schools, despite per-pupil spending having increased by more than 245% since the 1970s, indicating that more spending does not mean better education," reads the White House fact sheet. "The Department of Education burdens schools with regulations and paperwork. Its “Dear Colleague” letters have forced schools to redirect resources toward complying with ideological initiatives, which diverts staff time and attention away from schools primary role of teaching."
Trump's plan to eliminate the Department of Education has already led to lawsuits.
Last week, Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown led a coalition of 21 states suing the Administration over their efforts to get rid of the department.
“President Trump’s attempt to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education threatens to strip Maryland schools of critical resources, leading to larger class sizes, fewer services for students with disabilities, and deepening inequities between well-funded and struggling districts," said Brown. "The impacts wouldn’t just affect grade school students; young adults may not be able to pay for college with federal student loans and grants, forcing them to change their hopes and dreams."
As that case awaits a preliminary ruling, earlier this week, in a separate lawsuit, a federal judge in Maryland ordered the department to reinstate funding towards teacher training programs, which Trump and company froze over their involvement with Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI).
The Department of Justice has since appealed the decision.