MCAS test scores are still below pre-pandemic levels. Check how your town did.

Massachusetts school students are still struggling to reverse pandemic learning loss, the latest MCAS test results show.

State education officials say that students "are still behind where they were in 2019," before the COVID pandemic led to remote learning and other disruptions for young people.

"We have no student group statewide that is at pre-pandemic levels of achievement," said Pedro Martinez, the new commissioner of elementary and secondary education in Massachusetts. "These results are sobering, but they're not insurmountable."

Gov. Maura Healey's administration said it is focused on early literacy and addressing chronic absenteeism as it seeks to improve student performance.

MCAS test results

High schoolers fared worse on the MCAS than grades 3-8, the results showed.

In English language arts, scores were up 3 percentage points from last year for grades 3-8, but declined 6 percentage points for grade 10. Both groups are 10 percentage points behind where they were in 2019.

In math, the percentage of students who met or exceeded expectations was unchanged for grades 3-8, compared to last year. There was a drop of 3 percentage points for 10th graders, who are 14 percentage points behind where they were in 2019.

For the first time this year, high school students took the MCAS knowing that it was no longer a requirement for graduation. Rob Curtin, the head of data for the education department, said that may be playing a role in the disappointing results.

"We do have some evidence that there was an impact of Question 2 here," he said. "This is something we'll be digging into more."

Question 2 was passed by Massachusetts voters last November, eliminating the standardized test from high school graduation requirements.

Town-by-town results

Overall, 55% of schools "made substantial progress toward, met or exceeded" their accountability targets this year, compared to 60% of schools that did so in 2024.

There are 63 districts that have met or exceeded 2019 achievement levels in grades 3-8. Those districts that did so in both English and math were Amherst, Arlington, Benjamin Banneker Charter School, Central Berkshire, Cohasset, Excel Academy Charter School, Farmington River Regional, Libertas Academy Charter School, Pioneer Charter School of Science, Rowe, Sizer School: A North Central Charter Essential, Wakefield and Williamsburg.

Click here to find results from your town.