Statistical Analysis of Students’ Performance in Mathematics in Public Secondary Schools in Zaria, Kaduna State

This study investigates the statistical patterns underlying students' performance in mathematics across selected public secondary schools in Zaria, Kaduna State, North West Nigeria. Poor performance in mathematics at the secondary school level has continued to attract concern from educators, policymakers, and researchers, yet rigorous quantitative analyses specific to the North West geopolitical zone remain sparse in recent literature. The study adopts a descriptive survey design, with data sourced from West African Senior School Certificate Examination results collated over five consecutive academic sessions from 2019 to 2023. A stratified random sample of twelve public secondary schools in the Zaria metropolitan area is drawn, covering both urban and peri-urban institutions. Descriptive statistics, including frequency distributions, measures of central tendency, and standard deviations, are computed alongside inferential techniques such as analysis of variance and Pearson correlation coefficients. The analysis examines performance differentials by gender, school type, class size, and teacher qualification. Results indicate persistent underperformance among students in rural-adjacent schools and a statistically significant correlation between teacher qualification levels and mean student scores. The findings are situated within recent debates on mathematics education reform in northern Nigeria, with particular reference to policy documents issued by the Kaduna State Ministry of Education between 2020 and 2024. The study recommends targeted teacher capacity development and supplementary instructional resources for schools with the lowest performance indices. Keywords: student performance, mathematics education, descriptive statistics, secondary schools, Kaduna State