The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) released the accountability data and Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) results for the 2025-2026 school year.

Overall, per the state accountability framework, the district remains classified as making Moderate Progress Toward Targets. Additionally, the district is not identified as requiring assistance or intervention and continues to reduce the number of schools receiving such designations. This past school year, eight more schools were rated as making substantial progress towards their targets.

“Boston is home to the first public schools in the country, and we’re determined to make them the first choice for all our families,” said Mayor Michelle Wu. “Public education always reflects what our families are facing at home and in the community, and in this challenging moment BPS is doubling down on creating the pathways and opportunities to set the standard for learning that extends far beyond the school building. The district’s steady progress across critical measures such as attendance, middle-grade math and science, graduation, and advanced coursework completion reflects the dedicated focus and close partnerships between students, families, and BPS over recent years. We look to continue creating opportunities for academic rigor, enrichment, and support in and out of the classroom.”

“These results reflect steady progress across Boston Public Schools, while also reinforcing the importance of our continued focus on improving student academic performance and accelerating learning for specific student groups,” said Boston Public Schools Superintendent Mary Skipper. “We are proud to meet our target for four-year cohort graduation rate and chronic absenteeism, while exceeding our target for students completing advanced coursework before graduation. At the same time, we recognize the need to improve proficiency levels across the district and ensure each student is prepared for success beyond the classroom. We will continue to invest in resources that support instructional improvements, expanding access to advanced and rigorous academic programs, and creating more learning opportunities to move this work forward.”

Four Boston Public Schools, including two in-district Horace Mann Charter Schools, were named School of Recognition: Grew Elementary School, Boston Latin School, Dudley Street Neighborhood Charter School, and Edward M. Kennedy Academy for Health Careers. DESE identifies schools of recognition as schools that met or exceeded their targets and also had both high achievement and high growth.

“This recognition is a testament to the hard work, dedication, and commitment of our students, educators, and staff, as well as the high expectations we maintain for every student at EMK,” said Dr. Caren S. Walker Gregory, Head of School at Edward M. Kennedy Academy for Health Careers. “We are incredibly proud of the academic growth our students have achieved. As we celebrate this accomplishment, we remain focused on building upon this momentum and providing rigorous, meaningful learning experiences that prepare every student for success in college, careers, and life.”

Region 1 School Superintendent Claire Carney said, “I am proud of the progress our East Boston students are making across our schools. We are seeing meaningful gains in both ELA and math, along with strong academic growth in many of our schools. These results reflect the hard work of our students and the commitment of our educators, families, and school communities. It is exciting to see this progress, and we will continue to build on this momentum to ensure our students have the support and instruction they need to thrive.”

Chronic Absenteeism

The district continued to show great progress in reducing chronic absenteeism and exceeded its targets for reducing chronic absenteeism for non-high school grades and met its targets for reducing chronic absenteeism in high school grades, for all students. Non-high schools experienced a reduction of 2.1 percentage points and high schools saw a reduction of 1.7 percentage points.

MCAS & Academic

Performance: Grades 3-8

Grades 3-8 &

Non-High School

In grades 3-8, across both ELA and Math performance, there were increases in the percent of students meeting and exceeding standards, where performance was either stagnant or declined at the state level. Students across BPS also demonstrated typical growth, or academic progress, as compared to their peers across the state.

The percent of students meeting and exceeding standards for 3-8 Math was more notable, increasing by 1.4 percentage points. Students in grades 6 and 8 also demonstrated significant year-over-year increases in proficiency by 3.9 and 4.8 percentage points, respectively, a bright spot for the district.

Science performance in grades 5 and 8 saw an increase of 2.9 percentage points of students meeting or exceeding expectations. Grade 8 was a particular bright spot experiencing a 6 percentage point increase.

Students in grade 8 participated in the Civics MCAS test for the second year in a row. There was a notable increase in the percentage of students meeting or exceeding expectations by 3.3 percentage points from the first test-taking year in 2025.

Grades 10 & High School

The district either met or exceeded the target for the following measures on the accountability framework: four-year cohort graduation rate (met), dropout rate

(exceeded), and advanced coursework completion (exceeded). For each of these measures, BPS increased points earned from 2025 to 2026.

“We are encouraged by the areas where we are seeing stronger results, including continued progress in reducing chronic absenteeism and expanding access to advanced coursework for our students,” said Boston School Committee Chairperson Jeri Robinson. “These results reinforce the importance of continuing to raise the bar for student achievement across the district. The School Committee will remain focused on understanding where additional improvement is needed, while building on the practices and investments that are helping our schools succeed.”

Students also demonstrated moderate growth, indicating solid academic progress, as compared to their peers across the state, in Grades 10 ELA and Math. Boston experienced a decrease in the percentage of students who met and exceeded expectations for Grade 10 ELA and Math by 7 and 4.3 percentage points, respectively, similar to the state.

Beginning with the Class of 2026, Massachusetts has changed its graduation criteria, eliminating the need for students to earn a required MCAS score to graduate high school. While MCAS continues to be required in Grade 10, MCAS performance no longer determines whether students earn the Competency Determination (CD). Grade 10 MCAS trends should therefore be interpreted with this change in context in mind and examined alongside other evidence of student learning.

BPS continues to work in close partnership with DESE and the Governor’s Office to ensure all graduates demonstrate mastery of the state’s academic standards through rigorous and meaningful coursework.

For more information, please visit https://www.doe.mass.edu/mcas/results.html.

The Boston Public Schools (BPS), the birthplace of public education in the United

States, serves approximately 46,000 pre-kindergarten through grade 12 students in 104 schools. BPS is committed to transforming the lives of all children through exemplary teaching in a world-class system of innovative, welcoming schools. We partner with the community, families, and students to develop in every learner the knowledge, skill, and character to excel in college, career, and life.