Many students, and adults, deal with anxiety around mathematics. Not just a dislike or frustration, but a stress response that can make engaging with math feel overwhelming.

Understanding what math anxiety is, and what it isn’t, is the first step. It’s how we create classrooms where every student feels safe enough to engage deeply with mathematical ideas.

What Is Math Anxiety, Really?

Math anxiety isn’t just about not liking math. Researchers from Cambridge and the American Psychological Association describe it as a real emotional and physical response that can show up as:

• A racing heart
• Sweaty palms
• A feeling of helplessness
• An overwhelming urge to shut down or avoid the task altogether

And it’s about more than tests.

It can flare up anytime a student anticipates working with numbers—whether they’re solving a number story, estimating a grocery bill, or even hearing the word “fractions.”

When a student is experiencing math anxiety, their working memory gets hijacked (PsychCentral). The part of the brain they need to process information, to make sense of the story in a word problem or connect ideas, is already overloaded before they even start.

How Is Math Anxiety Different from Test Anxiety?

Test anxiety often spikes around high-pressure, evaluative moments like exams. Students who experience it may struggle even when they know the material well, simply because of the stress of the testing environment. (You can read more about understanding and supporting students with test anxiety here.)

Math anxiety, however, can surface at any time, not just during tests. It’s a persistent fear tied to the act of doing math itself, whether it’s solving a simple problem, estimating, or even seeing numbers. It can make daily work, homework, and even group projects feel harder than they should.

Here’s a quick side-by-side comparison:

	Test Anxiety	Math Anxiety
Focus of Anxiety	Linked to the pressure of being evaluated; fear of the test setting itself.	Linked to interacting with math tasks, even outside of test settings.
Triggers	Timed conditions, grades, perceived judgment, high-stakes environments.	Numbers, operations, problem-solving, even without a test context.
Timing	Tends to spike during assessments or evaluations.	Can exist all the time during daily work, discussions, or independent practice.
Emotional Layer	Fear of failure and external judgment.	Fear of cognitive disorientation and not making sense of math.
Overlap	Math anxiety can intensify test anxiety when math is the focus of the test.	Students with math anxiety may also experience heightened test anxiety during math assessments.

How Does Math Anxiety Develop?

Math anxiety doesn’t happen overnight. It builds over time, and often starts early.

It can stem from experiences where a student felt rushed, shamed, or unsupported when they didn’t immediately “get it.” It can also come from societal messages like “some people just aren’t math people,” setting the stage for self-doubt.

And here’s where we need to be honest:

Sometimes, without even realizing it, the way we’ve traditionally taught math has fed the cycle of math anxiety.

Practices like timed tests, speed drills, public displays of “fast finishers”, even when well-intentioned, can send the message that quickness matters more than deep thinking.

We have to be reflective enough to recognize where some of our systems may have prioritized performance over understanding, and willing to choose a better way forward.

Why Does This Matter So Much?

The impact of math anxiety is serious. Students who experience it often:

• Avoid participating in class
• Stop taking risks
• Struggle to read and make sense of problems, even when they have the skills
• Choose paths later in life that steer away from anything math-related (APA, Healthline)

And it’s important to recognize: Math anxiety is an equity issue.

When we allow math anxiety to persist, we unintentionally limit opportunities, especially for students who are already underrepresented in STEM fields. Addressing math anxiety is not about lowering expectations; it’s about removing barriers that prevent students from reaching their full potential.

When students are anxious, they can’t access the very structures and strategies we are working so hard to teach them.

If we want students to engage meaningfully with math stories, if we want them to build flexible thinking and confidence, we have to address emotions first.

How Does Structure Help?

One of the ways we can support students is by offering consistent, predictable structures for making sense of mathematics. (We’ll dig deeper into this idea in the next article, but it’s important to start thinking about it now.)

When students have a way to approach any problem—when they have visual models, sentence frames, and thinking routines—it reduces cognitive load. It helps them see math not as a mystery or puzzle, but as a story they can understand and navigate.

This isn’t about making math “easier.” It’s about making it more accessible and creating pathways that invite every student into the thinking.

Closing Reflection

As you think about your students and your practice, consider:

• Where might math anxiety be showing up in your classroom, even if it’s quiet or hidden?
• Where might our systems be sending the message that only some students are “math people”?
• What’s one practice or tradition we might need to rethink in order to better serve all learners?
• What’s one small shift you could make tomorrow to create a safer, more welcoming math environment?

Use these questions to guide reflective conversation in your next PLC or team meeting:

• Where and when have you seen signs of math anxiety in your students?
• How might some traditional practices in math instruction unintentionally contribute to anxiety?
• What is one classroom routine, structure, or message you would like to adjust to better support students with math anxiety?
• How can we create more consistent opportunities for all students to feel successful in math, not just the ones who are already confident?

In the next article, we’ll talk about specific strategies we can use to dismantle math anxiety and help all students build positive, confident relationships with math.