‘The challenges are real’: Students lag below pre-pandemic levels according to new MCAS results

ARLINGTON, Mass. — State education leaders released the latest MCAS results on Monday, which show students are continuing to lag below pre-pandemic levels, and for high schoolers, numbers are going in the wrong direction.

“We all know there is still a lot of work to do,” Education Secretary Patrick Tutwiler said to the crowd at Ottoson Middle School Monday morning.

Last spring’s MCAS was the first test in two decades that did not fulfill a graduation requirement, after Massachusetts voters opted out.

According to Elementary and Secondary Education Commissioner Pedro Martinez, the results from that test show that students in Massachusetts are continuing to lag far behind pre-pandemic levels, showing very little change from 2024 to 2025, with a notable decline among high schoolers.

“We know the challenges are real. The needs of children have never been higher, whether it’s more children with IEPs, more children who are multilingual students and we know that those supports are necessary,” Commissioner Martinez said.

In English Language Arts, 42% of 3rd-8th graders met or exceeded expectations, as did 51% of 10th graders. In Science, those numbers are 46% of 5th graders, 37% of 8th graders, and 51% of high schoolers. And in Math, the state reports 41% of 3rd-8th graders, and 45% of 10th graders.

“It’s a struggle that we have no student group that is above pre-pandemic level across the entire commonwealth,” Commissioner Martinez said.

These results show post-pandemic learning loss is still a huge challenge for students, while leaders work to address chronic student absences and the state’s literacy crisis.

“We’re still number one but it’s important for us right now to have some sense of urgency,” Commissioner Martinez said. “I am optimistic that we are going to get this.”

While learning loss is still a major challenge for districts across the country, in Massachusetts, 63 districts reached pre-pandemic levels for grades 3rd-8th. It’s a model the state hopes to replicate and exceed in all districts.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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