6th grade math

What 6th graders learn in math

The Common Core focuses grade 6 on four ideas: ratios and rates (including percents), dividing fractions and fluent decimal arithmetic, negative numbers on the number line, and expressions and equations with letters. It also covers area of triangles, surface area and statistics.

Fractions and times tables from elementary school carry the weight here. A child who is shaky with equivalent fractions will find ratios and percents much harder.

6th grade math skills, in order

What mastery looks like by the end of the year

• Uses a ratio table to answer “if 3 notebooks cost $4.50, how much do 7 cost?”
• Finds 15% of 60 and works out what percent 18 is of 24.
• Divides fractions, such as 3/4 ÷ 1/8 = 6, and explains what the answer means.
• Places −3 and 2 on a number line and knows −3 is less than 2.
• Solves one-step equations like x + 7 = 15 and 4x = 36.
• Finds the area of a triangle as half of base × height.

Signs your child needs extra help

• Fractions are still guesswork, so ratios and percents feel random.
• Uses the wrong number as the whole in percent problems.
• Thinks −8 is bigger than −3.
• Can follow the order of operations only with a rhyme and gets 2 + 3 × 4 = 20.
• Avoids word problems or can’t say what a unit rate means.

Most grade 6 trouble traces back to fractions and division. The grades 4–5 mixed review, or the fractions section, is the quickest way to find and fix the gap.

Try a 6th grade math problem

Tap a question to see the answer and how to get it.

6th grade math worksheets

Each one is a free PDF with an answer key and its own page with a preview, tips and a button to make a new version.

• RatiosGrade 6
• Percent of a numberGrade 6
• Finding the percentGrade 6
• Percent to decimalGrade 6
• Solving equationsGrades 6–7
• Adding and subtracting integersGrade 7
• Comparing integersGrade 6
• ExponentsGrade 6
• Order of operationsGrades 5–6
• Area of trianglesGrade 6
• Mean, median, mode and rangeGrade 6
• Greatest common factorGrade 6
• Least common multipleGrade 6

More 6th grade PDFs

• Dividing fractionsGrade 6
• Unit ratesGrade 6
• Absolute valueGrade 6
• Evaluating expressionsGrade 6
• Like terms and distributive propertyGrades 6–7
• InequalitiesGrades 6–7
• Surface areaGrade 6
• Finding the wholeGrade 6

6th grade math lessons and charts

• Ratios and ratesRatio tables and unit rates
• PercentagesThe three kinds of question
• IntegersNegative numbers
• EquationsOne-step and two-step
• ExponentsPowers and squares
• Order of operationsPEMDAS
• Mean, median, modeDescribing data
• Coordinate planeFour quadrants

How to help with 6th grade math at home

Compare prices per unit

At the store, compare a 12 oz box for $3.60 with an 18 oz box for $4.86. Which is cheaper per ounce? (30¢ vs 27¢.)

Work out discounts and tips

Use the 10% trick for sales and restaurant tips. It turns percents into something useful.

Talk about temperatures

Below-zero temperatures and sea level are natural ways into negative numbers.

Write rules with letters

“Each pizza costs $12, so p pizzas cost 12p.” Turning everyday rules into expressions is the heart of grade 6 algebra.

See 5th grade math for the skills that lead into this year, and 7th grade math for what comes next.