MA Students Still Far Behind Pre-COVID Marks With 2026 MCAS Math Gains, English Struggles

Student achievement remained largely stagnant post-COVID-19 — with some gains in math offset with continued slippage in English language arts — according to the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System test results that the state released on Tuesday.

The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education touted improvements in math, where 41 percent of students in grades 3 through 8 met or exceeded expectations in results that were deemed "roughly consistent with 2025." There were gains in Grade 8 math, where proficiency improved 4 points to 42 percent, while Grade 10 math was about the same as 2025.

Math marks were 8 percentage points behind 2019 levels in Grades 3 through 8, and 15 points off scores from 2019 in Grade 10.

English results were less encouraging, with another 2 percent drop in proficiency in grades 3 through 8.

The results were more stark in Grade 10, where there was a 6 percent drop. Those marks are 12 points off pre-pandemic levels in Grades 3 through 8, and 16 points off 2019 levels in Grade 10.

"The Healey-Driscoll Administration and the Legislature both recognized the urgent need to focus on early literacy, with the Governor's Literacy Launch initiative and the recent passage of legislation that requires districts to use evidence-based early literacy curricula," Education Secretary Steve Zrike said in a statement. "With this strong focus and support on early literacy, I am confident that we will see improved outcomes in our English language arts performance."

While MCAS proficiency is no longer a requirement for high school graduation in Massachusetts following a 2024 ballot initiative, results are still used to gauge school performance and the need for state intervention.

Eighty percent of schools received an accountability designation of not requiring assistance or intervention, and 53 percent met, exceeded, or made substantial progress toward their accountability targets.

DESE said 14 districts have returned to or exceeded their pre-pandemic performance in both English language arts and math for students in grades 3-8, with additional districts reaching pre-pandemic performance in one of the two subjects.

In science, high school students lost 5 points of proficiency year-over-year, while Grade 5 students lost 2 points and Grade 8 students gained 3.

The science test was relatively new in 2019, with 2026 results showing drops of 6 percent since then in Grade 5 and 7 percent in Grade 8. The high school science test is substantially different from what it was in 2019.

The state also introduced a Grade 8 civics test with scores about the same in both 2025 and 2026 at 40 percent proficiency.

DESE said the results also show the importance of school attendance, with students deemed "chronically absent" scoring well below that of their peers who were in class more regularly.

DESE said it provided targeted funding and technical assistance to districts, including $10,000 grants to 175 districts to strengthen local attendance efforts.

Chronic absenteeism declined to 17.1 percent statewide in 2025-26, down from 22.2 percent in 2022-23, according to DESE.

Individual district scores are available here.

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