Florida Algebra 1 EOC 2026: Passing Score, the 30% Rule, and Retake Pathways

The Short Answer: What Passing the Florida Algebra 1 EOC Requires in 2026

To pass the Florida B.E.S.T. Algebra 1 End-of-Course (EOC) assessment, you need a scale score of 400. That is the bottom of Achievement Level 3 on the 325–475 B.E.S.T. scale, and Level 3 is the "on grade level" standard for every Florida statewide assessment. Earn 400 or higher and you have passed.

That one number does double duty. Your EOC result counts as 30% of your Algebra 1 course grade, and — for students who completed Algebra 1 in the 2022–23 school year or later — reaching Level 3 (or an approved substitute score) is a graduation requirement for a standard Florida high school diploma. So the Algebra 1 EOC is not just another final; it can affect both your report card and your diploma.

If you have seen a page claim the passing score is 497, or that a Math PERT score can substitute for the EOC, that information is outdated. Florida moved to the final B.E.S.T. scale in October 2023, and the State Board of Education adopted new comparative scores in July 2025 that removed PERT. This guide uses the current 2025–26 Florida Department of Education (FDOE) rules so you know exactly what counts today.

Who Has to Take the Algebra 1 EOC

Per FDOE's 2025–26 B.E.S.T. EOC Fact Sheet, every student enrolled in and completing an Algebra 1 course must take the assessment. The courses that trigger it are:

• Algebra 1 (course number 1200310)
• Algebra 1 Honors (1200320)
• Algebra 1-B (1200380)
• Pre-AP Algebra 1 (1200386)
• Pre-AICE Mathematics 1 (1209810)
• IB Middle Years Program / Algebra 1 Honors (1200390)

This includes middle-school students. A seventh- or eighth-grader enrolled in Algebra 1 takes the Algebra 1 EOC instead of the grade-level FAST Mathematics assessment — Florida law (section 1008.22, F.S.) prohibits testing a middle-grades student on both a grade-level math assessment and a math EOC in the same year.

Test Format: One Adaptive Session, 45–50 Questions

The Algebra 1 EOC is a computer-based test delivered through Florida's Test Delivery System (TDS). A few format facts change how you should prepare:

• It is computer-adaptive. The questions you see are selected to meet the blueprint, and item difficulty adjusts based on how you answer. You cannot flag-and-skip your way through the way you might on a fixed paper test, and there is no penalty strategy to game — answer each item as well as you can.
• It is one 160-minute session with a short break after the first 80 minutes. Any student who is not finished at 160 minutes may keep working for up to the length of a typical school day, so you will not be cut off mid-problem.
• It contains 45–50 items. During the spring administration, about 5 of those are experimental field-test items that do not count toward your score (you will not know which ones).
• You get an on-screen scientific calculator and a reference sheet inside TDS. Not every item needs the calculator, but it is always there. Practice with an on-screen calculator, not just a handheld one, so the interface does not slow you down.
• Scores are fast. Results post to the Florida Reporting System within 24 hours of finishing the test.

What's Actually Tested: Three Reporting Categories

FDOE's Test Design Summary and Blueprint (updated February 2025) organizes the Algebra 1 EOC into three reporting categories. Unlike many exams that lean heavily on one area, this test is deliberately balanced — each category is weighted 31–38% of the test:

Because the weights are nearly even, you cannot pass by mastering only linear algebra and ignoring quadratics and functions. A study plan that skips an entire reporting category leaves roughly a third of the test on the table.

The Passing Score, Decoded: 400 on the 325–475 Scale

Every Florida statewide assessment reports five achievement levels, with Level 3 defined as "on grade level." Here are the current Algebra 1 EOC scale-score ranges, from the achievement-level cut scores adopted in Rule 6A-1.09422, F.A.C.:

Passing is a scale score of 400. For students whose first participation in the Algebra 1 EOC was between Winter 2022 and Fall 2023, an alternate passing score of 398 applies. Both numbers live on the same 325–475 scale.

Why the confusion with higher numbers online? During 2022–23, before the State Board adopted the final cut scores, Algebra 1 results were reported on a provisional scale where Level 3 started near 497. That provisional scale is obsolete. On the current B.E.S.T. scale, 400 is the passing standard for graduation.

Your Score Counts Twice: The 30% Rule and the Graduation Requirement

This is where students and parents get tripped up, because the Algebra 1 EOC is governed by two separate Florida rules that work at the same time.

1. The 30% course-grade rule. Under section 1008.22, F.S., your EOC result counts as 30% of your final Algebra 1 course grade. You can still pass the course without hitting Level 3 on the EOC — the other 70% (your classwork, tests, and projects) can carry the grade — but a low EOC score pulls your final grade down. Students who have not yet taken the EOC to be averaged into their grade, and students in grade-forgiveness programs, are eligible to sit for it in a later window to improve that 30%.

2. The graduation requirement. Under section 1003.4282, F.S., students who completed Algebra 1 (or an equivalent course) in the 2022–23 school year or later must pass the Algebra 1 EOC — or earn an approved comparative score — to receive a standard high school diploma. This is separate from your course grade: you could pass the class but still owe the state a passing EOC (or substitute) result for your diploma.

One important nuance from FDOE's Graduation Requirements for Florida's Statewide Assessments (revised December 2025): every student enrolled in Algebra 1 must participate in the EOC even if they already have a passing comparative score on file. Having an SAT Math score that qualifies does not exempt you from taking the test in the course.

If You Don't Pass: Retakes and Comparative Scores

A first-attempt Level 2 is not the end of the road. Florida gives you two independent ways to satisfy the graduation requirement.

Retake the EOC

You may retake the Algebra 1 EOC every time it is administered until you earn a passing score, and you can continue your high school education beyond twelfth grade if you need more instruction. There is no cap on attempts.

Earn a comparative score

For the Algebra 1 graduation requirement, FDOE accepts comparative scores from national tests. (Note the vocabulary: Florida calls math EOC substitutes "comparative scores," and reserves "concordant scores" for the Grade 10 ELA requirement — many third-party pages blur the two.) For students who entered grade 9 in 2020–21 and beyond, the current comparative scores are:

Two things that catch families by surprise:

• Math PERT is no longer accepted. Earlier Florida rules let a Postsecondary Education Readiness Test (PERT) math score substitute for the Algebra 1 EOC. When the State Board adopted new comparative scores effective August 19, 2025, PERT was removed from the Algebra 1 list. If a tutor or old handout tells you a PERT score of 97 will clear the requirement, that guidance is outdated.
• Passing the Geometry EOC also works. A Level 3 on the Florida Geometry EOC (scale score 404 or higher) counts as a comparative score for the Algebra 1 requirement — useful for a student who struggled on Algebra 1 but later did well in Geometry.

Students who entered grade 9 in earlier years, or who tested before the 2025 rule took effect, may have slightly different cohort rules and the 398 alternate passing score. When in doubt, confirm your specific cohort with your school's testing coordinator.

When the Algebra 1 EOC Is Offered

The Algebra 1 EOC runs in four windows a year, so a retake is never far away. Districts pick specific testing days inside each statewide window. For 2025–26, FDOE's Statewide Assessment Schedule set the EOC windows as:

• Fall: September 8 – October 3, 2025
• Winter: December 1 – 19, 2025
• Spring: May 1 – 29, 2026 (the main administration for full-year Algebra 1 students)
• Summer: June 22 – 26, 2026 and July 13 – 17, 2026 (retake-focused)

The 2026–27 windows follow the same pattern: Fall (September 8 – October 2, 2026), Winter (November 30 – December 18, 2026), plus spring and summer administrations. Your district publishes exact dates, so check its testing calendar for your school.

How to Prepare for the Florida Algebra 1 EOC

Because the test is balanced across three reporting categories and delivered adaptively, the most efficient prep is targeted practice, not passive review.

1. Diagnose by reporting category. Take a full-length practice set and score yourself against the three categories. Whichever of Expressions/Functions/Data Analysis, Linear Relationships, or Non-Linear Relationships is weakest is where your first study hours belong — each is worth up to 38%.
2. Practice on a computer with an on-screen calculator. The real test is CBT with a built-in scientific calculator and reference sheet. Rehearse entering answers and using the digital calculator so test day feels familiar.
3. Work the released items. FDOE publishes computer-based sample items and periodically released tests with answer keys and the reporting category for each item. These are the closest match to the real question style.
4. Drill to automaticity on the fundamentals — factoring quadratics, solving and graphing linear systems, function notation, and interpreting data — because adaptive tests reward consistent accuracy.

free Florida Algebra 1 EOC practice questionsPractice questions with detailed explanations

Official Sources

• End-of-Course (EOC) Assessments — FDOE EOC program page and the 2025–26 B.E.S.T. EOC Fact Sheet (test format, courses, achievement levels).
• Graduation Requirements for Florida's Statewide Assessments — revised December 2025 (passing scores, comparative scores, alternate passing scores).
• FAST Assessments / Test Design Summary and Blueprint — reporting categories and item counts.
• Statewide Assessment Schedules — official testing windows.

Passing scores, comparative scores, and testing windows can change. Always confirm the current requirements on fldoe.org or with your school's testing coordinator before relying on any summary.