What math skills should a 4th grader know?

Quick answer

By the end of 4th grade, children should read, compare and round whole numbers up to 1,000,000, add and subtract them with the standard algorithm, multiply up to four digits by one digit and two digits by two digits, and divide up to four-digit numbers by one digit, with remainders. Fractions grow too: equivalence, comparing, adding like denominators, multiplying by whole numbers, and decimals to hundredths.

4th grade is when math gets bigger: numbers up to a million, multiplying and dividing multi-digit numbers, and a real leap with fractions and decimals. Below is a parent-friendly checklist of what 4th graders are expected to know by the end of the year, based on the Common Core State Standards used by most U.S. states (your state or school may differ). Each item lists its standard code so you can match it to report cards.

Operations and algebraic thinking: comparisons, factors and patterns

• Read multiplication as a comparison: 35 = 5 × 7 means 35 is 5 times as many as 7 (4.OA.A.1).
• Solve “times as many” word problems and tell them apart from “more than” problems: a dog that weighs 4 times as much as a 6-pound cat weighs 24 pounds, but a dog 4 pounds heavier weighs 10 (4.OA.A.2).
• Solve multistep word problems with all four operations, including deciding what a remainder means, writing an equation with a letter for the unknown and estimating to check (4.OA.A.3).
• Find all factor pairs of a number from 1 to 100, recognize multiples, and tell whether a number is prime (exactly two factors, like 7) or composite (more than two, like 24) (4.OA.B.4).
• Extend and explain patterns: the rule “add 3” starting at 1 gives 1, 4, 7, 10, 13…, which alternates odd and even (4.OA.C.5).

Place value and multi-digit arithmetic, up to 1,000,000

• Understand that each place is worth ten times the place to its right, so 700 ÷ 70 = 10 (4.NBT.A.1).
• Read, write and compare numbers up to 1,000,000 as numerals, in words and in expanded form (4.NBT.A.2).
• Round to any place: 46,382 rounds to 46,000 (nearest thousand) or 50,000 (nearest ten thousand) (4.NBT.A.3).
• Add and subtract fluently with the standard algorithm (4.NBT.B.4).
• Multiply up to four digits by one digit, and two digits by two digits, using place value, arrays or area models (4.NBT.B.5).
• Divide up to four-digit numbers by one-digit numbers, finding quotients and remainders (4.NBT.B.6).

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For multiplication, 4th graders often use an area model: split each number into tens and ones, multiply the parts, then add.

Division works the same way: 1,236 ÷ 4 is 1,200 ÷ 4 = 300 plus 36 ÷ 4 = 9, so 309. The standard multiplication algorithm is a 5th-grade fluency standard (5.NBT.B.5) and the standard long-division algorithm a 6th-grade one, though your child's school may introduce them earlier. Our long division guide and division guide walk through both approaches.

Fractions and decimals

4th-grade fractions use denominators 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12 and 100. Children should:

• Make equivalent fractions by multiplying the top and bottom by the same number: 2/3 = 8/12 (4.NF.A.1).
• Compare fractions with different denominators using a common denominator or the benchmark 1/2: 3/5 is more than 1/2, and 3/8 is less (4.NF.A.2).
• Add and subtract fractions with like denominators, including mixed numbers: 3/8 + 4/8 = 7/8, and 2 1/4 + 1 2/4 = 3 3/4. Break fractions apart, too: 3/8 = 1/8 + 2/8 (4.NF.B.3).
• Multiply a fraction by a whole number: 3 × 2/5 = 6/5 (4.NF.B.4).
• Connect tenths, hundredths and decimals: 3/10 = 30/100, 0.62 = 62/100, and compare decimals to hundredths (4.NF.C.5, 4.NF.C.6, 4.NF.C.7).

Measurement and data: conversions, area, perimeter and angles

• Know the relative sizes of units (km, m, cm; kg, g; lb, oz; l, ml; hr, min, sec) and convert larger units into smaller ones (4.MD.A.1).
• Solve word problems about distance, time, liquid volume, mass and money, including simple fractions and decimals (4.MD.A.2).
• Use the area and perimeter formulas for rectangles, even backwards: a room with 48 square feet of floor that is 8 feet long must be 6 feet wide (4.MD.A.3).
• Make line plots of measurements in halves, quarters and eighths, and use them to solve problems (4.MD.B.4).
• Measure angles in degrees with a protractor (a one-degree angle is 1/360 of a full turn), sketch angles, and add angle measures (4.MD.C.5, 4.MD.C.6, 4.MD.C.7).

Geometry: lines, angles and symmetry

• Draw and identify points, lines, line segments, rays, right, acute and obtuse angles, and parallel and perpendicular lines (4.G.A.1).
• Sort shapes by whether they have parallel or perpendicular sides and by their angles, and identify right triangles (4.G.A.2).
• Find and draw lines of symmetry, where a shape folds into matching halves (4.G.A.3).

Signs your child may need extra help

If any of these patterns last for several weeks, have a friendly chat with the teacher:

• Multiplication facts are still slow, so every multi-digit problem becomes exhausting.
• Digits drift out of their columns in written work.
• Adding denominators, or thinking 0.45 is bigger than 0.5.
• Answers that don't fit the story, like “7 R2 buses” when the question needs a whole number of buses.
• Mixing up the area and perimeter formulas.

These are common and fixable. If facts are the root cause, our fluency-by-grade guide helps set realistic goals, and our guide for when a child struggles with math has next steps.

5–10 minute math ideas for home

• Big-number rounding: round attendance figures or prices you see to the nearest thousand.
• Factor detective: pick a number under 100 and find every factor pair. Prime or composite?
• Recipe math: triple a recipe that calls for 3/4 cup of flour: 3 × 3/4 = 9/4 = 2 1/4 cups.
• Money as decimals: $3.45 is 3 dollars and 45 hundredths of a dollar.
• Clock angles: at 3:00 the hands make a right angle, at 1:00 an acute angle, and at 5:00 an obtuse one.
• Symmetry hunt: which capital letters fold into matching halves? A, H, M and T do.

Our division worksheets and multiplication chart are handy for quick practice.

How 4th grade sets up 5th grade

• Division moves to two-digit divisors (5.NBT.B.6), and the standard multiplication algorithm becomes a fluency goal (5.NBT.B.5).
• Fractions expand to adding and subtracting with unlike denominators, like 2/3 + 1/4 (5.NF.A.1).
• Decimals go to thousandths, and children add, subtract, multiply and divide decimals to hundredths (5.NBT.A.3, 5.NBT.B.7).

Need to shore up the basics first? The 3rd grade checklist shows what 4th grade builds on.

Can my child do this? Quick self-check and practice

Try these near the end of the year. Quick, confident answers mean a skill is on track; hesitation shows you what to practice.

4th grade practice (with answers)

1. Round 72,649 to the nearest thousand
2. 5,006 − 2,348 = ?
3. 2,456 × 3 = ?
4. 34 × 26 = ?
5. 1,248 ÷ 6 = ?
6. 75 ÷ 4 = ?
7. Is 51 prime or composite?
8. Which is greater: 3/4 or 5/8?
9. 2/5 + 4/5 = ?
10. 4 × 2/3 = ?
11. Which is greater: 0.5 or 0.45?
12. A rectangle is 9 cm by 6 cm. Find its area and perimeter.

Show answers

Frequently asked questions

What math should a 4th grader know by the end of the year?

By the end of 4th grade, children should work with whole numbers up to 1,000,000, add and subtract with the standard algorithm, multiply up to four digits by one digit and two digits by two digits, and divide up to four-digit numbers by one digit with remainders. They also find factors, compare and add fractions, use decimals to hundredths, convert measurements and measure angles.

Do 4th graders learn long division?

4th graders divide numbers up to four digits by one-digit numbers, with remainders (4.NBT.B.6). The Common Core expects place-value strategies such as partial quotients, area models and the link to multiplication. The standard long-division algorithm is formally a 6th-grade fluency standard, though many schools start teaching it in 4th or 5th grade.

What fractions do 4th graders learn?

4th graders work with denominators 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12 and 100. They find equivalent fractions, compare fractions with different denominators, add and subtract fractions and mixed numbers with like denominators, multiply a fraction by a whole number, and connect tenths and hundredths to decimals.

Should a 4th grader know multiplication facts?

Yes. The Common Core expects all products of two one-digit numbers to be known from memory by the end of 3rd grade, and 4th-grade work depends on them: multi-digit multiplication, division with remainders, factors and equivalent fractions. If facts are still slow, a few minutes of daily practice will make the whole year easier.

Do 4th graders learn decimals?

Yes, to hundredths. 4th graders write fractions with denominators 10 and 100 as decimals (62/100 = 0.62), place decimals on a number line, and compare them, for example 0.5 is greater than 0.45 (4.NF.C.6, 4.NF.C.7). Adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing decimals comes in 5th grade.

How can I help my 4th grader with math at home?

Keep sessions short, five to ten minutes, and tie them to real life: round big numbers you see in the news, scale recipes with fractions, spot angles on clock faces and handle money. If your child is stuck, ask them to explain their thinking out loud; it usually reveals the exact step that needs work.

Sources

• Common Core State Standards for Mathematics — CCSSI
• Common Core State Standards: Grade 4, Operations & Algebraic Thinking — CCSSI
• Common Core State Standards: Grade 4, Number & Operations in Base Ten — CCSSI
• Common Core State Standards: Grade 4, Number & Operations—Fractions — CCSSI
• Common Core State Standards: Grade 4, Measurement & Data — CCSSI
• Common Core State Standards: Grade 4, Geometry — CCSSI
• Common Core State Standards: Grade 5, Number & Operations in Base Ten — CCSSI
• Common Core State Standards: Grade 5, Number & Operations—Fractions — CCSSI

Written by The Mathing Team for parents and teachers. Grade expectations follow the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics; your state or school may sequence skills a little differently.