The high school dropout rate in a southern U.S. state is 22.1% and students who fall behind in reading and math in middle school are more likely to fail 9th grade. This specific failure is one of the strongest predictors that a student will ultimately drop out of school. The research questions of this study addressed the relationship between math anxiety and student mathematical comprehension and the variation of math anxiety by various demographic subgroups. The purposes of this quantitative research were (a) to determine the relationship of math anxiety and math achievement among 7th grade students; (b) to identify students who experienced math anxiety based on percentile scores from the Math Anxiety Ratings Scale for Adolescents (MARS-A); and (c) to determine the distribution of mathematics anxiety by demographic subgroups. The theoretical framework for this study is based on the affective and cognitive domains associated with the phenomenon of math anxiety. A two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was conducted to assess if mathematics anxiety among 7th grade students differed by mathematics anxiety level, gender, minority status, and socioeconomic status. An additional ANOVA was conducted to assess if there were differences in mathematics achievement by level of mathematics anxiety and demographic groups. The findings of this research revealed no significant differences or interaction effect between math anxiety, current math level equivalences, and demographic subgroups. Understanding the effects of anxiety and helping students to reduce levels of mathematics anxiety results in improvements in mathematics achievement. Students who leave school with strong mathematical and problem-solving skills are better prepared to achieve success and make positive contributions to society. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]