The percentage of students considered proficient on of the state's 10th grade English Language Arts test, the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS).
Students must pass the 10th grade MCAS math and English tests in order to graduate high school. Mastery of communication skills, including reading, writing, speaking and listening, is critical for success at college and in the workplace.
In 2025, 45% of 10th graders passed the state's language arts exam, down 9 points from 2022 and lower than the state 2025 passing rate of 51%. Passing rates were highest in Manchester Essex Regional (82%) and Hamilton-Wenham (80%), and lowest in Lawrence (17%) and Peabody (24%).
In Essex County in 2025, proficiency was lower among Hispanic and low-income students (both 28%), and African American (35%) students compared to those who are Asian (76%), not low-income (61%), or White (58%). Proficiency decreased among all student groups from 2022 to 2025, except Asian students which increased 2 percentage points.
Essex County's passing rate was below the 61% passing rate of Middlesex, MA.
Studies point to a variety of factors believed to contribute to disparities in test scores and other measures of student achievement. School systems in the United States are highly segregated, and students of color disproportionately attend schools with high proportions of low-income students who may not have benefited from early learning opportunities at the same rate as other students. Schools also have different levels of resources ranging from qualified/experienced teachers to advanced courses to facilities and technology, and schools with large Black and Latino populations often have lower levels. In addition, teachers across all school systems tend to be disproportionately White, and teaching practices and curriculum may not be culturally relevant to students of color.
The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education defines "Low Income" students as those that meet any of the following criteria: identified as participating in state-administered programs (SNAP, TAFDC, MassHealth, or Foster Care), reported by a district as homeless, or a family income of up to 185% of the Federal Poverty Level.
As assessments vary among states, it is not possible to include comparable data for the nation or other areas in this indicator.
| All Students | Asian | Black or African American | Hispanic or Latino | Low Income | Non-Low Income | White | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essex County, MA | 45% | 76% | 35% | 28% | 28% | 61% | 58% |
| Middlesex County, MA | 61% | 79% | 38% | 34% | 35% | 72% | 68% |
| Massachusetts | 51% | 76% | 35% | 31% | 31% | 64% | 59% |
| School Districts in Essex | |||||||
| Amesbury | 51% | 17% | 27% | 61% | 59% | ||
| Andover | 74% | 92% | 52% | 44% | 79% | 72% | |
| Beverly | 45% | 30% | 21% | 24% | 55% | 51% | |
| Danvers | 45% | 28% | 23% | 56% | 47% | ||
| Essex Agricultural Technical | 64% | 83% | 71% | 59% | 55% | 68% | 65% |
| Georgetown | 50% | 55% | 32% | 58% | 51% | ||
| Gloucester | 37% | 18% | 18% | 55% | 41% | ||
| Greater Lawrence Regional Vocational Technical | 43% | 42% | 42% | 45% | 49% | ||
| Hamilton-Wenham | 80% | 27% | 86% | 82% | |||
| Haverhill | 28% | 50% | 8% | 15% | 16% | 46% | 43% |
| Ipswich | 72% | 47% | 77% | 71% | |||
| KIPP Academy Lynn Charter | 68% | 73% | 65% | 63% | 77% | ||
| Lawrence | 17% | 15% | 16% | 14% | 33% | 21% | |
| Lynn | 28% | 49% | 28% | 25% | 24% | 40% | 37% |
| Lynnfield | 77% | 91% | 78% | 70% | 78% | 77% | |
| Manchester Essex Regional | 82% | 75% | 83% | 84% | |||
| Marblehead | 54% | 50% | 42% | 55% | 54% | ||
| Masconomet | 74% | 91% | 63% | 75% | 73% | ||
| Methuen | 33% | 87% | 35% | 20% | 22% | 47% | 44% |
| Newburyport | 70% | 53% | 72% | 71% | |||
| North Andover | 60% | 84% | 46% | 44% | 40% | 66% | 63% |
| Peabody | 24% | 27% | 16% | 15% | 33% | 26% | |
| Pentucket | 72% | 65% | 74% | 71% | |||
| Rockport | 67% | 57% | 71% | 66% | |||
| Salem | 43% | 33% | 21% | 24% | 65% | 66% | |
| Salem Academy Charter | 60% | 48% | 51% | 70% | 75% | ||
| Saugus | 36% | 70% | 23% | 27% | 47% | 45% | |
| Swampscott | 54% | 40% | 40% | 47% | 56% | 60% | |
| Triton | 50% | 33% | 58% | 50% | |||
| Whittier Regional Vocational Technical | 62% | 45% | 58% | 54% | 66% | 65% |
| All Students | Asian | Black or African American | Hispanic or Latino | Low Income | Non-Low Income | White | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essex County, MA | 3,787 | 194 | 111 | 941 | 1,102 | 2,685 | 2,304 |
| Middlesex County, MA | 9,922 | 1,807 | 414 | 1,068 | 1,789 | 8,127 | 5,932 |
| Massachusetts | 34,361 | 3,955 | 2,402 | 5,141 | 8,917 | 25,444 | 21,129 |
| School Districts in Essex | |||||||
| Amesbury | 68 | 3 | 11 | 57 | 61 | ||
| Andover | 290 | 82 | 22 | 24 | 266 | 174 | |
| Beverly | 136 | 3 | 11 | 23 | 113 | 114 | |
| Danvers | 93 | 9 | 15 | 78 | 75 | ||
| Essex Agricultural Technical | 291 | 10 | 10 | 55 | 71 | 220 | 208 |
| Georgetown | 32 | 6 | 6 | 26 | 26 | ||
| Gloucester | 68 | 6 | 15 | 53 | 56 | ||
| Greater Lawrence Regional Vocational Technical | 206 | 166 | 137 | 69 | 33 | ||
| Hamilton-Wenham | 93 | 3 | 90 | 79 | |||
| Haverhill | 136 | 5 | 2 | 33 | 46 | 90 | 90 |
| Ipswich | 79 | 8 | 71 | 65 | |||
| KIPP Academy Lynn Charter | 84 | 24 | 54 | 51 | 33 | ||
| Lawrence | 131 | 2 | 118 | 97 | 34 | 4 | |
| Lynn | 346 | 36 | 28 | 225 | 225 | 121 | 47 |
| Lynnfield | 118 | 10 | 14 | 14 | 104 | 88 | |
| Manchester Essex Regional | 85 | 9 | 76 | 81 | |||
| Marblehead | 106 | 8 | 11 | 95 | 88 | ||
| Masconomet | 176 | 10 | 12 | 164 | 155 | ||
| Methuen | 137 | 13 | 12 | 40 | 52 | 85 | 69 |
| Newburyport | 127 | 10 | 117 | 117 | |||
| North Andover | 212 | 21 | 6 | 28 | 36 | 176 | 150 |
| Peabody | 83 | 9 | 15 | 28 | 55 | 53 | |
| Pentucket | 99 | 13 | 86 | 89 | |||
| Rockport | 46 | 12 | 34 | 42 | |||
| Salem | 94 | 6 | 21 | 29 | 65 | 55 | |
| Salem Academy Charter | 39 | 19 | 18 | 21 | 12 | ||
| Saugus | 63 | 7 | 18 | 28 | 35 | 33 | |
| Swampscott | 91 | 4 | 12 | 24 | 67 | 68 | |
| Triton | 58 | 12 | 46 | 52 | |||
| Whittier Regional Vocational Technical | 200 | 5 | 58 | 62 | 138 | 120 |
| All Students | Asian | Black or African American | Hispanic or Latino | Low Income | Non-Low Income | White | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essex County, MA | 54% | 74% | 41% | 35% | 37% | 69% | 65% |
| Middlesex County, MA | 67% | 81% | 47% | 42% | 45% | 78% | 73% |
| Massachusetts | 58% | 79% | 41% | 38% | 40% | 71% | 65% |
| School Districts in Essex | |||||||
| Amesbury | 64% | 45% | 47% | 71% | 67% | ||
| Andover | 75% | 96% | 72% | 52% | 50% | 79% | 72% |
| Beverly | 55% | 58% | 32% | 43% | 63% | 62% | |
| Danvers | 61% | 67% | 46% | 66% | 60% | ||
| Essex Agricultural Technical | 81% | 88% | 79% | 81% | 80% | ||
| Georgetown | 63% | 66% | 63% | ||||
| Gloucester | 44% | 27% | 34% | 53% | 45% | ||
| Greater Lawrence Regional Vocational Technical | 53% | 53% | 50% | 60% | 54% | ||
| Hamilton-Wenham | 74% | 70% | 50% | 79% | 79% | ||
| Haverhill | 37% | 23% | 21% | 22% | 59% | 50% | |
| Ipswich | 75% | 46% | 83% | 77% | |||
| KIPP Academy Lynn Charter | 67% | 59% | 67% | 63% | 79% | ||
| Lawrence | 23% | 64% | 38% | 22% | 22% | 33% | 35% |
| Lynn | 33% | 54% | 34% | 29% | 29% | 47% | 45% |
| Lynnfield | 79% | 70% | 76% | 80% | 78% | ||
| Manchester Essex Regional | 86% | 76% | 88% | 85% | |||
| Marblehead | 67% | 36% | 44% | 50% | 71% | 71% | |
| Masconomet | 81% | 91% | 56% | 84% | 82% | ||
| Methuen | 48% | 63% | 20% | 34% | 31% | 66% | 62% |
| Newburyport | 70% | 45% | 75% | 72% | |||
| North Andover | 63% | 88% | 45% | 44% | 44% | 70% | 65% |
| Peabody | 43% | 60% | 31% | 24% | 29% | 56% | 49% |
| Pentucket | 71% | 55% | 77% | 72% | |||
| Rockport | 67% | 53% | 73% | 69% | |||
| Salem | 37% | 33% | 21% | 32% | 50% | 51% | |
| Salem Academy Charter | 66% | 56% | 63% | 71% | 78% | ||
| Saugus | 46% | 40% | 34% | 32% | 56% | 51% | |
| Swampscott | 66% | 62% | 42% | 73% | 66% | ||
| Triton | 60% | 28% | 72% | 60% | |||
| Whittier Regional Vocational Technical | 70% | 100% | 67% | 66% | 73% | 70% |
| All Students | Asian | Black or African American | Hispanic or Latino | Low Income | Non-Low Income | White | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essex County, MA | 4,347 | 179 | 104 | 992 | 1,410 | 2,933 | 2,820 |
| Middlesex County, MA | 10,622 | 1,578 | 448 | 1,064 | 2,235 | 8,369 | 6,797 |
| Massachusetts | 39,160 | 3,717 | 2,569 | 5,425 | 11,244 | 27,916 | 25,826 |
| School Districts in Essex | |||||||
| Amesbury | 80 | 5 | 18 | 62 | 71 | ||
| Andover | 311 | 71 | 13 | 23 | 33 | 278 | 195 |
| Beverly | 162 | 7 | 18 | 51 | 111 | 130 | |
| Danvers | 129 | 14 | 24 | 105 | 101 | ||
| Essex Agricultural Technical | 327 | 42 | 90 | 237 | 259 | ||
| Georgetown | 50 | 46 | 48 | ||||
| Gloucester | 99 | 4 | 37 | 62 | 86 | ||
| Greater Lawrence Regional Vocational Technical | 222 | 176 | 158 | 64 | 40 | ||
| Hamilton-Wenham | 93 | 7 | 10 | 83 | 80 | ||
| Haverhill | 163 | 6 | 35 | 57 | 106 | 118 | |
| Ipswich | 97 | 12 | 85 | 86 | |||
| KIPP Academy Lynn Charter | 80 | 13 | 61 | 57 | 23 | ||
| Lawrence | 164 | 9 | 6 | 142 | 138 | 26 | 6 |
| Lynn | 361 | 37 | 30 | 223 | 243 | 118 | 59 |
| Lynnfield | 118 | 7 | 16 | 102 | 96 | ||
| Manchester Essex Regional | 77 | 13 | 64 | 75 | |||
| Marblehead | 140 | 4 | 8 | 19 | 121 | 119 | |
| Masconomet | 203 | 10 | 15 | 188 | 185 | ||
| Methuen | 205 | 10 | 2 | 67 | 73 | 132 | 116 |
| Newburyport | 147 | 15 | 132 | 136 | |||
| North Andover | 212 | 22 | 5 | 21 | 38 | 174 | 161 |
| Peabody | 157 | 6 | 4 | 21 | 54 | 103 | 124 |
| Pentucket | 102 | 21 | 81 | 93 | |||
| Rockport | 45 | 10 | 35 | 40 | |||
| Salem | 70 | 6 | 19 | 44 | 26 | 35 | |
| Salem Academy Charter | 45 | 18 | 25 | 20 | 18 | ||
| Saugus | 77 | 4 | 19 | 23 | 54 | 47 | |
| Swampscott | 100 | 13 | 13 | 87 | 76 | ||
| Triton | 84 | 11 | 73 | 73 | |||
| Whittier Regional Vocational Technical | 227 | 11 | 56 | 92 | 135 | 147 |
