On March 14, math classes across the country will celebrate Pi Day鈥攁 national holiday in honor of the mathematical constant pi, which represents the ratio of a circle鈥檚 circumference to its diameter and starts with the digits 3.14.
It鈥檚 a time when students can take a break from a traditional way of learning about math and get more creative using pizza, pies, and more.
鈥淸Pi Day is] to remind kids that there are fun aspects about math,鈥� said Joseph Bolz, a math teacher at George Washington High School in Denver.
Education Week spoke with three 糖心动漫vlog about how they鈥檙e celebrating Pi Day in 2025.
In Colorado, a Pi Day celebration is growing this year
This year, Bolz is excited about the expansion of Pi Day in his high school.
In previous years, he would spend half of the math period creatively teaching about pi鈥攆or example, using hands-on tools to measure the angles and radius of a cookie鈥攖o make it easier for kids to understand, Bolz said.
In the other half of the period, Bolz鈥檚 students would go to the library, where they鈥檇 meet other math teachers, students, and parents, and engage in Pi Day festivities.
Students would grab pie and create a pi chain, write jokes about pi and math, or decorate a pi skyline, with numbered buildings in the order of pi.
鈥淚t鈥檚 always amazing when I can see the kids鈥� faces when they鈥檙e coming into the library [in reaction to] all the different stuff that we have,鈥� Bolz said.
Parents and local businesses donate and volunteer to create a memorable Pi Day celebration, Bolz said. But this school year will look a little different as the high school has a sponsor: T-Mobile.
鈥淸T-Mobile is] going to bring a truck that has a bunch of science and engineering gear so I鈥檓 trying to get my science classes involved in Pi Day that way,鈥� he said. This will create a cross-departmental celebration of Pi Day, with both science and math, he added.
In Illinois, students compete in Pi Day activities
In the Chicagoland area, Catalina Perricone, a high school math teacher currently on maternity leave, has celebrated Pi Day for more than 12 years throughout various schools in the region.
鈥淚t鈥檚 important for students to know the historical importance [of pi] and how closely it鈥檚 tied into such big concepts like circumference and radius and area, and that鈥檚 it鈥檚 been known for generations and evolved for so long,鈥� Perricone said.
Perricone has celebrated Pi Day through hands-on activities like having students collect, measure, and calculate circular household items like a Pringles can or roll of paper towels.
But one celebration that sticks out is competition-based activities, like Jeopardy games and trivia or department-wide contests. Another one of Perricone鈥檚 favorite pi-related activities is having students draw a circle using their arm as the radius and voting on who drew the most perfect circle.
鈥淪tudents really get into it,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hey get very competitive, which I love.鈥�
She is excited to get back into the classroom and celebrate another Pi Day.
鈥淢ath isn鈥檛 always the [most fun] for students, so if you are going to make it fun for them, make it tangible for them,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hen they鈥檙e going to be excited as well.鈥�
In New Jersey, Einstein鈥檚 birthday is a key part of the day
In Princeton, N.J., the community gets together to celebrate PI Day along with Albert Einstein鈥檚 birthday, who lived in the town.
For the last 15 years, community partners and local organizations have put together a series of events throughout the day and around town related to both .
Many Pi Day events are held at the Princeton Library, which is at the center of the town, bringing together teachers, parents, and kids. (When Pi Day falls on a weekday, like this year, the celebrations are held on the weekend.) The library curates educational materials and hosts events like Einstein Story Time, and pi-iku, in which students make haikus about science or math.
鈥淲e try to mix it up every year and think of different ways we can highlight both the number pi as well science and math in general,鈥� said Janie Hermann, the adult programming manager at Princeton Public Library.
The library also displays relevant books and sends a list of ones about pi or Einstein to teachers in the community.
鈥淭here are some people who are just interested in the math aspect and that鈥檚 great, but by broadening it and trying to tie it into books and making it a broader scope, you鈥檙e going to attract more people to the topic and maybe then they can discover something about math and science,鈥� Hermann said. 鈥淢aybe they can discover something about pi and its importance and what it is.鈥�
