North Carolina Standards
North Carolina 6th Grade Math Standards
All 31 North Carolina math standards for 6th grade, each explained in plain English. The official wording is in North Carolina Department of Public Instruction's document, linked at the end of this page.
31 standards
Ratio and Proportional Relationships
4 standardsNC.6.RP.1
Use ratio language to describe how two amounts relate by multiplying, like 3 wings for every 1 bird, and show ratios with tables, diagrams or number lines.
NC.6.RP.2
Find and explain both unit ratios in a situation, like $6 for 3 pounds meaning $2 per pound and also 1/2 pound per dollar.
NC.6.RP.3
Solve equivalent whole-number ratio problems by building and comparing tables, filling in missing values, using unit ratios, converting units and graphing the pairs.
NC.6.RP.4
Solve percent problems as rates per 100, using benchmarks like 10% or 25% to find part of an amount and finding the whole from a part and a percent.
The Number System
9 standardsNC.6.NS.1
Divide fractions by fractions using visual models and common denominators, explaining the answer, like how many 3/4-cup servings are in 2 1/4 cups.
NC.6.NS.2
Use long division quickly and accurately with dividends of at least four digits, and explain what the quotient and remainder mean in the problem.
NC.6.NS.3
Add, subtract, multiply and divide decimals fluently with the standard algorithms, like 12.6 ÷ 0.3 or 4.75 x 2.4.
NC.6.NS.4
Find prime factorizations, greatest common factors up to 100 for rewriting sums like 36 + 8 as 4 groups of 11, and least common multiples up to 12 for adding fractions.
NC.6.NS.5
Use signed numbers for opposites like gains and losses, explain what 0 means, and treat absolute value as size, like a balance of -30 being a bigger debt than -10.
NC.6.NS.6
Place signed numbers on number lines and coordinate planes, know the opposite of -3 is 3, read quadrants from signs, and see sign changes as reflections across an axis.
NC.6.NS.7
Read inequalities as positions on a number line, like -3 > -7 because -3 is to the right, and write and explain order in real settings like temperatures.
NC.6.NS.8
Solve problems by graphing points in all four quadrants and find the distance between two points that line up horizontally or vertically.
NC.6.NS.9
Add and subtract integers from -20 to 20 with zero pairs and number line moves, see subtracting as adding the opposite, and find distance as an absolute difference.
Expressions and Equations
9 standardsNC.6.EE.1
Find the value of expressions with whole-number exponents, with or without parentheses, like 2 cubed + 4 squared = 24, and write such expressions.
NC.6.EE.2
Write expressions with letters for numbers, like y - 5 for 5 less than y, name parts like terms and coefficients, and plug values into formulas like A = lw.
NC.6.EE.3
Use number properties to write equivalent expressions without exponents, like turning 3 times the sum of 2 and x into 6 + 3x.
NC.6.EE.4
Tell when two expressions are equal for every value and justify it, like y + y + y being equivalent to 3y.
NC.6.EE.5
Substitute numbers from a given set into an equation to see which ones make it true, like testing 2, 4 and 6 in 3x = 12.
NC.6.EE.6
Let a letter stand for an unknown or changing number and write expressions to solve problems, like 4n for the cost of n tickets at $4.
NC.6.EE.7
Write and solve one-step equations like x + 3.5 = 10 or 4x = 18, where all numbers are zero or positive, to solve real and math problems.
NC.6.EE.8
Test values in inequalities, write ones like x > 5 for real limits, know they have endless solutions, and show the solutions on a number line.
NC.6.EE.9
Use two variables for amounts that change together, like distance and time, and connect the situation, equation, table and graph that describe them.
Geometry
4 standardsNC.6.G.1
Find areas of triangles, special quadrilaterals and other polygons by rearranging them into rectangles or splitting them into triangles, for real problems.
NC.6.G.2
Find the volume of rectangular prisms with fraction edge lengths, like a box 1/2 by 3/4 by 2 feet, and use it to solve real problems.
NC.6.G.3
Draw polygons on the coordinate plane from vertex coordinates, and use coordinates to find side lengths when points share an x or y value.
NC.6.G.4
Unfold prisms and pyramids into flat nets of rectangles and triangles, then add the areas of the pieces to get surface area in real problems, like wrapping a box.
Statistics and Probability
5 standardsNC.6.SP.1
Recognize a statistical question as one expecting varied answers, like how tall are students in my class, versus how tall am I.
NC.6.SP.3
Summarize data with a center and a spread, seeing the mean as a fair share swayed by outliers, the median as the middle, and spread as what sets similar data apart.
NC.6.SP.4
Show numerical data on a number line with dot plots, histograms and box plots, and compare what each display reveals about the same data.
NC.6.SP.5
Summarize data in context, giving the count, what was measured and its units, the center, spread, patterns and outliers, and why the mean or median fits best.
The official North Carolina documents
- North Carolina K-12 Mathematics Standard Course of Study · adopted June 2017 · since 2018-19, through 2027-28
- North Carolina Standard Course of Study, K-8 Mathematics · adopted June 2017 · since 2018-19, through 2027-28
- 2026 K-12 Mathematics Standard Course of Study · coming next · adopted October 2026 · installation years 2026-27 and 2027-28
The plain-English lines on this page are EMStudio's own explanations of North Carolina's standards, not the official wording, which North Carolina Department of Public Instruction publishes in the documents above. Codes and strand names identify each standard.