NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mar 12, 2026--
World Math Day, the world’s largest online mathematics competition, kicks off in many parts of the globe on March 25. Thanks to the International Date Line, however, the global competition will start in the U.S. on March 24 and teachers can start registering their students now. Over the years, this fun, free international celebration of math has seen over 10 million students answer more than 1 billion questions. It is hosted annually on the Mathletics platform.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260312328521/en/
“For 18 years, World Math Day has brought together millions of students in an epic celebration of math and learning,” said Katy Pike, Mathletics Chief Product Officer at 3P Learning. “Students and teachers from all over the globe, unified by the common language of numbers, come together on World Math Day to learn and play.”
The mission of World Math Day is to get kids excited about mathematics and see it as inspiring and enjoyable, rather than overwhelming or boring. In the United States, it is particularly important that we bring fun back into learning mathematics to get students back on a growth trend of improved performance. In recent years, U.S. students have struggled on national and international assessments and the most recent NAEP scores show students still remain below pre-pandemic levels.
“Events like World Math Day are one way to bring excitement around math back to the classroom, and when joy comes back into learning, assessment scores improve,” added Pike.
World Math Day officially kicks off at 6:00 a.m. AEDT on March 25 in Australia, which is where 3P Learning’s world headquarters is based. It runs at various times around the globe for the next 48 hours. Starting on March 12, teachers and their students who have pre-registered will have free access to the Mathletics platform so they can practice with the question format and hone their math fluency skills.
During the 48-hour competition, students complete twenty 60-second Live Math Challenges, the goal being to get as many of those questions as possible correct. There are questions for many different abilities. Teachers simply register their class and then put students into the appropriate category for their skill level. Prizes are given based on individual and school ranking and participants can track their progress on a Live Leaderboard.
The 2026 theme, United by Numbers, celebrates the belief that everyone can learn and excel at mathematics when given the right support. Teachers and students need not be Mathletics users to participate since access to Mathletics is provided free to all registrants starting March 12.
Learn more about World Math Day or register at https://www.3plearning.com/world-maths-day.
About Mathletics
Mathletics is the world’s leading online math program, proven to boost student engagement and help students achieve better math results in just 15–30 minutes per week. Recognized with multiple international awards and used by over 120,000 educators worldwide, it builds learners’ confidence through engaging online activities, games and exciting mastery challenges. Working at each student’s individual level, Mathletics provides the extra maths support they need in the classroom or at home, offering a complete course from fundamentals through to extension.
To learn more, please visit https://www.mathletics.com.
About 3P Learning
3P Learning ( https://3plearning.com ) is a global leader in online education for school-aged students offering a multi-award-winning suite of programs in reading (Reading Eggs) and mathematics (Mathletics and Mathseeds). With over 18,000 schools in 130+ countries using its solutions, 3P Learning combines 20+ years of research and educator expertise to offer students better ways to learn and achieve real results.
World Math Day, the world’s largest online math competition, starts March 25 in Australia and runs for 48 hours at various times throughout the globe. Join millions of students around the globe for this fun, FREE math event. Free access to the competition platform starts March 12: https://www.3plearning.com/world-maths-day.
MILAN (AP) — Thousands of young people marched Saturday through the streets of Milan, where large numbers of soldiers were deployed and luxury boutiques were boarded up in case of a repeat of last weekend's chaotic looting and clashes.
Premier Giorgia Meloni announced a raft of measures, including sending an additional 500 soldiers to Milan and tougher penalties for minors, who police said made up a large part of the violent protesters last week.
While protests in France have claimed most international attention, large demonstrations also rocked many European cities Saturday from Milan to Madrid, Lisbon and Tirana.
The protests encompass a broad range of issues from education and corruption to anti-war movements, pensions and housing.
In Milan, huge crowds of mostly young people gathered as night fell, chanting insults to Meloni and holding aloft banners such as “No to lies of the state.”
A group of protesters dumped manure outside Italy’s energy regulator and burned a symbolic, oversized electricity bill, images broadcast on local television showed.
The 500 soldiers deployed to Milan came in addition to hundreds already stationed there, supporting about 5,000 police and other security personnel. Authorities used drone surveillance, checks at railway stations, rapid-response units and online monitoring for potential calls to violence. Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala has said he is concerned about a repeat of violence and expressed support for the deployment of more soldiers.
Many stores, particularly luxury boutiques within Milan's fashion district including Omega, Tiffany and Gucci, boarded up their front windows.
Rioters last weekend smashed their way into stores, targeting sneakers, athletic wear and sporting goods on streets that run off the city’s central Duomo square.
Security measures extended beyond the city center over concerns protesters could move into other neighborhoods.
Demonstrations also took place in Rome, Turin and other cities, with some turning violent.
Officials said Saturday they were investigating a 30-year-old freelance journalist said to be the “mastermind” of the newly formed October 17 movement, which has been the main driver of the recent protests in Italy.
Milan police say last week's violence and looting involved about 2,000 very young protesters, many of them “naturalized, second-generation Italians,” alongside foreign nationals. Over two days, police arrested 45 people, including 34 minors.
“Many young people increasingly lack a sense of belonging and prospects for the future. Part of our society feels excluded, amid social and economic inequalities,” Milan’s welfare councilor, Lamberto Bertolé, told The Associated Press.
Defense Minister Guido Crosetto said the soldiers deployed Saturday were only recently allowed to use plastic restraint ties and only in areas around train stations, not throughout the city. They are not authorized to carry pepper spray or tasers, he said.
Security was also heightened in Rome, where authorities locked down luxury shopping streets and stepped up controls around the Circus Maximus and Piazza del Popolo.
A small number of protesters tried to force their way into the Colosseum, but were ushered out by guards. Elsewhere, several hundred students demonstrated peacefully to stress they were not rioters.
“I think the images from last week were truly something terrible, especially for the young people, for the students, for the vast majority of the younger generations who want to study ... and do not accept being represented by those who use issues and needs to devastate entire cities,” said Riccardo Ponzio, national president of an Italian far-right student association.
A separate anti-war march took off in central Rome. Organizers sought to distance themselves from potential unrest, urging participants to keep their faces uncovered and hands visible.
In Albania's capital Tirana, riot police used water cannons on large groups of protesters, some of whom set government buildings on fire and threw projectiles at police. Authorities said 2,500 officers patrolled the streets Saturday.
For over a week, protesters have hurled rocks, flares, firebombs and fireworks at police who have used batons and tear gas in clashes in the city center.
High school and university students are demanding lower tuition fees, greater state investment in education and protesting corruption in the education system. Some have joined a broader anti-government movement calling for the resignation of Socialist Prime Minister Edi Rama.
A separate protest organized by the opposition outside the prime minister's office turned violent earlier, with some activists lighting fires on the street.
Rama said Saturday his government was preparing a response to the students' demands and called them to a dialogue. He warned that violent protesters will face penalties.
Thousands of retirees and others marched in Spain's capital Saturday to demand public pensions aren’t meddled with.
Large crowds marched peacefully down streets in central Madrid, waving colorful flags and banners reading “protect pensions” and “decent pensions for today and the future."
“They are threatening us with privatizing pensions. It’s just another thing they want to profit from," said Maria José Benito, 68.
The protests came ahead of next month’s snap election as Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s Socialist Party criticized the conservative opposition Popular Party for making overtures about privatizing public pensions. Spain also has been roiled by protests this fall around the issue of housing, as rental and home costs have risen in recent years beyond what many Spaniards can afford.
Taking their cue from Spaniards, protesters in Lisbon demanding affordable housing marched across the city on Saturday.
They have also targeted recent measures announced by the government of Prime Minister Luis Montenegro that include easing the cap on yearly rent increases and facilitating the eviction of tenants who fail to pay rent.
Montenegro defends the measures saying that it aims at reinforcing trust between tenants and landlords and boosting the rentals market. Protesters claim that the measures are not balanced and put tenants in a more vulnerable position.
Nellas reported from Athens, and Hui reported from London. Associated Press writers Suman Naishadham in Madrid, Giada Zampano in Rome, and videojournalists Niccolò Lupone in Milan, Veronica Sauchelli in Rome, Alicia León in Madrid and Helena Alves in Lisbon contributed to this report.
Anti-riot police watch people marching through the streets of Milan, Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026, to protest against the rising cost of living and deteriorating public services during one of several protests in Italy organized by groups across the political spectrum. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
Protesters gather during an anti-government rally, in Tirana, Albania, Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Hameraldi Agolli)
Riot police advance during an anti-government rally in Tirana, Albania, Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Hameraldi Agolli)
Italian army paratroopers patrol the area around Milan's Duomo Cathedral, Italy, Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026, ahead of expected protests against the rising cost of living and deteriorating public services during one of several protests in Italy organized by groups across the political spectrum. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
Protesters gather outside the Prime Minister's office during an anti-government rally, in Tirana, Albania, Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Hameraldi Agolli)
Shop windows are boarded up in Milan, Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026, ahead of a protest against the rising cost of living and deteriorating public services, one of several demonstrations organized across Italy by groups spanning the political spectrum. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)
Members of right-wing student groups march through the streets of Rome, Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026, during a demonstration called "Unlock Everything," organized in opposition to recent left-wing student protests and one of several demonstrations held by groups across the political spectrum. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Members of right-wing student groups march through the streets of Rome during a demonstration called "Unlock Everything," organized in opposition to recent left-wing student protests and one of several demonstrations held by groups across the political spectrum, Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Members of right-wing student groups march through the streets of Rome during a demonstration called "Unlock Everything," organized in opposition to recent left-wing student protests and one of several demonstrations held by groups across the political spectrum, Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Members of right-wing student groups march through the streets of Rome, Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026, during a demonstration called "Unlock Everything," organized in opposition to recent left-wing student protests and one of several demonstrations held by groups across the political spectrum. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Members of right-wing student groups march through the streets of Rome, Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026, during a demonstration called "Unlock Everything," organized in opposition to recent left-wing student protests and one of several demonstrations held by groups across the political spectrum. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
