By fourth grade, the math shifts. In Grade 3, students were building multiplication fluency and basic fraction understanding. Now those skills get applied to more complex problems — multi-digit multiplication, fraction comparisons across denominators, decimals, angles, and two-step word problems that require real thinking rather than pattern recognition.
This guide walks through the major STAAR Grade 4 math topics, explains what students tend to struggle with, and gives you practice problems to work through at home or in the classroom. All topics align to the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS).
What the STAAR Grade 4 Math Test Covers
STAAR is aligned to the Texas TEKS. ViewMath is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Texas Education Agency. For official information about the STAAR Grade 4 math test, visit tea.texas.gov.
Multi-Digit Multiplication
Students should be able to multiply a 2-digit number by a 2-digit number and a 3-digit number by a 1-digit number using strategies including the standard algorithm, area models, and partial products. TEKS-aligned tests often ask students to explain which strategy they used or to identify an error in a sample calculation.
Practice problems:
- What is 34 × 12? Show your work using an area model.
- A school orders 18 boxes of pencils. Each box contains 24 pencils. How many pencils does the school have in total?
- Find the product: 416 × 3. Explain why your answer makes sense.
Long Division
Fourth graders divide up to 4-digit numbers by 1-digit numbers. They also interpret remainders in context — deciding whether to round up or down based on the story problem. This is one of the most commonly missed areas on Grade 4 tests.
Practice problems:
- Solve: 372 ÷ 4. What is the remainder?
- 125 students are divided into groups of 6 for a project. How many complete groups can be formed? How many students are left over?
- A baker has 248 cookies to pack into boxes of 8. How many full boxes can she fill?
Fractions and Decimals
Students compare and order fractions with different numerators and different denominators, understand equivalence, and connect fractions to decimals (tenths and hundredths). This is one of the most content-heavy areas of the Grade 4 TEKS.
Key skills:
- Generating equivalent fractions: 1/2 = 2/4 = 4/8
- Comparing fractions using benchmarks (is this fraction closer to 0, 1/2, or 1?)
- Writing decimals in tenths and hundredths and connecting them to fraction notation
- Comparing decimals using models and a number line
Practice problems:
- Which is greater: 3/4 or 5/8? Explain your reasoning.
- Write the decimal that represents 7/10. Then write the decimal for 7/100. What do you notice?
- Put these fractions in order from least to greatest: 1/3, 2/5, 3/4, 1/2.
Geometry: Angles
Angles are a new and often confusing topic in Grade 4. Students learn to measure angles in degrees, classify angles as acute, right, obtuse, or straight, and find unknown angles by adding or subtracting known ones. A protractor is not required on STAAR — angle questions use diagrams and labeled measures.
Practice problems:
- An angle measures 135°. Is it acute, right, obtuse, or straight?
- Two angles share a ray and together form a straight angle (180°). One angle is 65°. What is the measure of the other angle?
- A right angle is divided into two smaller angles. One is 32°. What is the measure of the other?
Area and Perimeter
Students find area and perimeter of rectangles and composite figures. A common question type gives a composite shape (like an L-shape), provides some side lengths, and asks students to figure out the missing measurements before calculating area or perimeter.
Practice problems:
- A rectangle has a length of 9 cm and a width of 6 cm. What are its area and perimeter?
- An L-shaped room is 10 m wide and 8 m tall. A 4 m × 3 m section has been cut from one corner. Find the area of the room.
- A garden has a perimeter of 36 feet. If its length is 10 feet, what is its width?
Two-Step Word Problems: Where Students Lose Points
On STAAR Grade 4, many questions require two steps to solve. Students who rush often only complete one step and mark that answer. Slowing down and asking “am I done?” after each calculation helps a lot.
A useful strategy: after solving any word problem, re-read the last sentence of the question to make sure the answer addresses what was actually asked.
Practice problems:
- Mia read 14 pages on Monday and twice as many pages on Tuesday. How many total pages did she read over both days?
- A store sold 6 boxes of oranges in the morning and 9 boxes in the afternoon. Each box holds 24 oranges. How many oranges were sold in total?
- Four friends each scored 125 points in a game, and one friend scored 250 points. What was the total score for all five friends?
Recommended STAAR Grade 4 Math Books
The ViewMath Texas STAAR Grade 4 book series is designed specifically for TEKS-aligned practice. Whether your student needs daily structured review with the Texas STAAR Grade 4 Math in 30 Days guide, more problem volume through the Texas STAAR Grade 4 Math Workbook, or full test experience from the 10 Texas STAAR Grade 4 Math Practice Tests, there’s a book that matches where they are in their prep.
We genuinely believe this series is one of the most focused STAAR-specific resources available — every question is aligned to Grade 4 Texas TEKS, and the explanations are written for students, not just teachers. All books are available as instant PDF downloads.
Browse the full collection at viewmath.com/books/grade-4-math/grade-4-math-texas-staar-teks/.
How Often Should Fourth Graders Practice Math?
Twenty to thirty minutes of focused, daily practice is more effective than two-hour sessions once or twice a week. For fourth grade, the goal isn’t just to do more problems — it’s to catch errors early and understand why they happened.
Keep a running list of problem types that were missed and revisit them every few days. Pattern recognition in mistakes is one of the fastest ways to improve test scores.
