College Readiness 2026: Is Your Kid Prepared for College-Level Reading and Math?
How are your kids doing in school? Really? Are they getting good grades? Do they like their teachers? Do they participate in class conversations?
Have they taken the SAT or ACT?
Do the scores correlate with grades?
At this point, we know grade inflation is real. I can’t tell you if your high school specifically is inflating grades, but standardized testing is the best way to confirm.
Readiness: Math
University of California at San Diego reported late in 2025 that 1 in 8 students are coming to college not meeting high school math standards. It was 1 in 200 in 2000.
I’ve posted on Instagram many times about college academic readiness. And I get the most pushback from parents who think they know better. AP or Honors English Literature and AP or Honors Calculus will show you are prepared for college to admissions officers.
You know your student best. If they are not ready for Calculus by graduation, are they showing a progression to pre-calculus? The Algebra - Geometry - Algebra 2/Trig - Precalculus - Calculus path is the one that is the established standard for high school graduates. Veering may show admissions officers that your student isn’t ready for their academic programs.
Readiness: Reading
Reading is another huge concern. A Columbia professor has said that his students are incapable of finishing or understanding reading assignments. High school teachers have the same problem, and are skipping giving reading assignments as it’ll slow down the class. Reading quickly for small chunks of information has taken over plot, theme, the narrative arc, etc.
Students aren’t reading for pleasure much anymore. I remember days when I forgot my housekey and had to sit outside with a book until my parents came home from work.
Having these opportunities, of quiet time, of boredom, aren’t available to today’s teenagers. They’re either deep into homework, extracurricular activities, gaming, and their phones. Any free time is filled with the latter 2. And this is keeping kids from picking up books.
What do you do to make sure your student is ready to meet the academic challenges at college?
Investigate grade inflation at your school. Average SAT scores and average gpa data for the previous graduating class should provide this data.
Investigate which standardized test is best for your student and create a testing plan.
Ensure your student is taking the traditional paths for English and Math. Both subjects need to be taken all 4 years of high school. Have your student take Algebra in 8th grade to make it easier to get to Calculus by senior year.
Create a culture of reading at home. It will take more than leading by example. We need to set up reading goals, book clubs, no electronics in the bedroom, etc. Trips to the library with the guidance to pick up anything that may interest you, will take off the stress of finding the “perfect” one.
Talk to your high school counselor to make sure your child will be ready by graduation.
If you want someone in your corner to help you navigate the college admissions process, here’s the link to schedule a free 20-min consultation.
Sources:
We Can’t Read, and It’s Not Because of that Phone | Harvard Independent
UC San Diego is trying to solve a remedial math problem | KPBS Public Media