Massachusetts students' results varied by grade and subject last spring. The steepest fall came in 10th-grade English, where the share of students meeting expectations sank by 6 percentage points from 2025 to 45 percent — down from more than 60 percent five years earlier.
The 2026 results, released this week and detailed by The Boston Globe, paint a picture of a state still climbing out of a pandemic-era hole even as a handful of bright spots emerge.
Middle School Math Offers a Rare Silver Lining
Not every metric moved in the wrong direction. According to the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, 14 school districts returned to or exceeded their pre-pandemic performance levels in both English and math for grades 3 through 8 this year. Grade 8 math was the standout, with 42 percent of students meeting or exceeding expectations — a 4-percentage-point jump from 2025 and the largest gain of any tested grade statewide.
Statewide, grades 3-8 math scores held roughly flat compared with the prior year, while English results in those grades slipped slightly. Massachusetts's grades 3-8 English passing rate was 12 percentage points below its 2019 level in 2026, the newspaper reported.
Science scores told a similarly discouraging story. Grade 5 science passing rates dropped 3 percentage points to 43 percent, while high school science passing rates fell 5 points to 41 percent, according to Boston 25 News. Eighth-grade civics, which covers the U.S. political system and Massachusetts state government, posted a 40 percent passing rate this spring, up slightly from 39 percent the year before, the Globe noted.
Big Districts Report Familiar Struggles
Boston, Springfield, and Worcester public schools all reported sharp declines in high school English scores with little progress elsewhere, according to the Globe's analysis. The Globe reported that Worcester Superintendent Brian E. Allen said more work was needed and that the district should focus on students needing gains.
Achievement gaps by race, income, and native language have changed little statewide, the Globe reported.
Motivation Questions Follow the End of the Graduation Requirement
The backdrop to this year's slump is a fundamental shift in what MCAS even means for students. Massachusetts voters eliminated the exam as a high school graduation requirement by passing Ballot Question 2 in November 2024 with 59 percent approval, according to Ballotpedia. That requirement had been in place since the state's 1993 Education Reform Act, when it took effect with the graduating class of 2003 and made Massachusetts one of fewer than a dozen states requiring students to pass English, math, and science tests to earn a diploma, as New England Public Media reported.
DESE Commissioner Pedro Martinez said motivation was a factor in the sharp drop in 10th-grade English scores, while officials believed the vote might have contributed, according to GBH News. The Massachusetts administration has also discussed new high school graduation standards, according to the same report.
State Points to New Literacy Law and Tutoring Investment
Governor Maura Healey signed “An Act Relative to Teacher Preparation and Student Literacy” into law on June 26, according to Mass.gov. Martinez also supported strong content and instructional practices, the Globe reported.
State leaders backed early literacy efforts with money. Officials awarded nearly $24.7 million to 71 districts, providing tutoring for more than 8,000 students, according to a separate Mass.gov announcement. DESE also created a new online MCAS Family Portal ahead of this year's data release, letting parents view preliminary individual student test reports digitally, Boston 25 News reported.
Absenteeism and Accountability Still Loom Large
Chronic absenteeism, defined by the state as missing 18 or more days of school, remained a persistent drag on performance. Massachusetts's statewide chronic absenteeism rate was 17.1 percent last year, down 1.6 percentage points from the prior year, according to the Globe's reporting.
The state also named schools of recognition based on growth or achievement.
Martinez struck a note of both candor and optimism, saying, “We're still not where we want to be, in terms of our results,” while expressing confidence that Massachusetts can improve. Test-score declines spanned nearly all student demographics and district types, from Duxbury to Pittsfield, the Globe reported.
