ROANOKE COUNTY, Va. – Roanoke County Public Schools (RCPS) announced the return of March MATHness, a district-wide math competition that combines education with the excitement of tournament-style play.
The second annual event began on March 3 and will conclude on March 21, 2025, challenging students across RCPS to enhance their math skills in a friendly competition.
The inaugural March MATHness in 2024 was a huge success, inspired by the NCAA’s March Madness basketball tournament. RCPS launched the event to engage students in math proficiency practice while promoting school pride and teamwork.
Partnering with IXL.com, students completed math proficiency exercises to earn points for their schools and teams, achieving an impressive 142,108 proficient skills, nearly quadrupling the original goal.
Last year’s Dunkin Denominators dominated the competition, securing both the Most Proficient Team title and Penn Forest Elementary earning the Most Proficient School award. This year, other teams are eager to take the top spot.
What’s new for 2025?
For the second year of March MATHness, RCPS has introduced several key changes:
- The tournament will now run for three weeks instead of four to maintain high engagement.
- Weekly leaderboards will be posted for both team and school standings.
- The team and school with the highest overall points at the end of three weeks will claim the March MATHness trophies.
Students complete math exercises, known as proficiencies, with scores calculated based on the total number of proficiencies completed divided by the number of participating students. Only work completed at school during the academic day counts toward scores.
Teams competing for 2025 March MATHness titles
Dunkin’ Denominators: Burlington Elementary, Cave Spring Elementary, Cave Spring Middle, Glenvar High, Hidden Valley High, Mount Pleasant Elementary, Oak Grove Elementary
Number Ninjas: Clearbrook Elementary, Fort Lewis Elementary, Glen Cove Elementary, Masons Cove Elementary, Northside High, William Byrd Middle
Fractions of Fury: Cave Spring High, Back Creek Elementary, Glenvar Elementary, Glenvar Middle, Herman L. Horn Elementary, Northside Middle, Penn Forest Elementary
Guardians of Geometry: Bonsack Elementary, Green Valley Elementary, Hidden Valley Middle, Mountain View Elementary, W.E. Cundiff Elementary, William Byrd High
RCPS encourages students, families, and the community to follow the tournament’s progress and cheer on their favorite teams. Weekly updates, team standings, and leaderboards are available at www.rcps.us/marchmathness.