Massachusetts Students Remain 0.5 Grade Behind as Low-Income Districts Lag More Than 1 Grade
Updated
Updated · WBUR News · May 13
Massachusetts Students Remain 0.5 Grade Behind as Low-Income Districts Lag More Than 1 Grade
6 articles · Updated · WBUR News · May 13
A new Education Scorecard found the average Massachusetts student is still about half a grade level below 2019 levels in reading and math, with recovery splitting sharply by district income.
High-income districts such as Needham and Wellesley have nearly regained — and in some cases exceeded — pre-pandemic scores, while Lynn, Everett and Revere remain more than a full grade level behind.
$2.86 billion in federal K-12 relief helped blunt deeper losses, researchers said, but that funding has expired, increasing pressure on the state to keep targeting support to high-poverty districts.
Reading is the biggest weak spot: Massachusetts was not among the seven states plus Washington, D.C., that improved from 2022 to 2025, even as it still ranked highest nationally on the 2024 NAEP.
Lawmakers are close to approving a phonics-based reading overhaul, as advocates argue the gap is no longer mainly a pandemic aftershock but a policy and instruction problem.
With federal aid gone and budgets cut, can a new reading law alone fix the state's learning crisis?
Why is America's top-ranked education state now seeing its poorest students fall further behind?
Widening Achievement Gaps in Massachusetts: Learning Loss, Chronic Absenteeism, and the Shift Beyond MCAS
Overview
Massachusetts is facing a serious educational crisis, as shown by the 2025 MCAS results and other recent data. The state has not recovered from pandemic-related learning loss, with no student group returning to pre-pandemic achievement levels. Students have lost about two-thirds of a year in math and two-fifths in reading. Both charter and traditional public schools are still below their 2019 performance. This crisis is also marked by widening achievement gaps, especially for vulnerable groups. While some districts have made progress, the overall situation remains challenging and highlights the need for urgent action.