Ballantyne-area high school students entering ninth grade in 2028 will no longer have to take Math 3 to graduate.

The North Carolina State Board of Education voted without opposition Thursday, Oct. 1, to adopt new K-12 math standards that eliminate Math 3 as a graduation requirement, as first reported by the Charlotte Observer. Math 4 is also being retired. The change takes effect in the 2028-29 school year and applies to every public school in the state, including Ardrey Kell and Ballantyne Ridge high schools.

Students will still need four math credits to graduate. Math 1 and Math 2 remain required. But instead of taking Math 3 and then choosing a fourth course, students will pick two electives aligned with their plans after high school.

The new elective choices include Applied Statistics and Data Science, Mathematical and Statistical Modeling, and Applied Logic and Reasoning. AP Precalculus, AP Statistics, AP Calculus, approved International Baccalaureate courses, and college-level math courses round out the list.

Charles Aiken, section chief of math, science and STEM at the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, told the state board that the shift reflects what employers want.

"Employers are telling us increasingly that calculus is less critical than statistics and data analytics," Aiken said.

The state board's guidance suggests career-specific pathways. Students interested in business might take data science. Aspiring engineers might take calculus. Those headed to community college or the workforce might choose a career and technical education course.

The standards were developed by a team of about 48 people after roughly 5,700 survey responses, WSOC-TV reported. North Carolina's math standards had not been updated since 2017.

Math 1 and Math 2 will also be revised to focus more on real-life applications and integrate technology, including graphing calculators and artificial intelligence.

North Carolina requires four high school math credits, more than most states, which require two or three. The state is among more than 20 reworking how they teach math, according to WRAL.

For Ballantyne families, the timeline matters. The state plans to spend two years training teachers before the 2028-29 launch. Current sixth and seventh graders at Community House and J.M. Robinson middle schools would be among the first students, based on typical grade progression, to navigate the new pathways when they reach high school.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools has not announced how it will implement the new standards locally or when families can expect guidance on course planning.