Impact Essex County

Why is this important?

Math skills are critical to a variety of careers and important for life skills ranging from budgeting and smart shopping to understanding the news. The middle school math examination serves as a checkpoint for high school preparation; performance on this exam can help predict high school success in math.

How is our county doing?

In 2022, 34% of 8th graders were considered proficient in Essex County, an increase of 5 percentage points from 2021, and slightly lower than the state passing rate of 36%. Among districts, rates were highest in 2022 in Lynnfield (79%), Andover (66%) and Marblehead (64%), and lowest in Lynn (16%), and Salem and Lawrence (both at 19%).

In Essex County in 2022, proficiency was lower among Hispanic (18%), economically disadvantaged (19%), and African American (22%) students compared to those who are Asian (58%), not economically disadvantaged (48%), or white (43%). While gains occurred among most groups from 2021 to 2022, proficiency among economically disadvantaged students decreased 10 points.

Why do these disparities exist?

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.

Notes about the data

As assessments vary among states, it is not possible to include comparable data for the nation or other areas in this indicator.

The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education did not administer Spring 2020 MCAS for the 2019-2020 school year due to the cancellation of state assessments and school closures related to COVID-19.

Data prior to 2017 is not comparable due to changes in the state test.

Percent of Students Passing Grade 8 Math, 2022

	All Students	Asian	Black or African American	Economically Disadvantaged	Hispanic or Latino	Not Economically Disadvantaged	White
Essex County, MA	34%	58%	22%	19%	18%	48%	43%
Middlesex County, MA	49%	75%	22%	23%	22%	62%	53%
Massachusetts	36%	70%	18%	18%	17%	51%	43%
School Districts in Essex
Amesbury	48%			30%	25%	59%	53%
Andover	66%	88%	60%	33%	33%	72%	65%
Beverly	27%		18%	12%	13%	36%	30%
Community Day Charter Public School - Gateway	56%			59%	55%	50%
Community Day Charter Public School - Prospect	45%			37%	45%	67%
Community Day Charter Public School - R. Kingman Webster	27%			21%	19%
Danvers	27%			22%	14%	29%	27%
Georgetown	35%			30%		36%	33%
Gloucester	29%			19%	12%	39%	32%
Hamilton-Wenham	59%			44%		62%	58%
Haverhill	24%	55%	14%	16%	14%	38%	33%
Hill View Montessori Charter Public	17%					21%	22%
Ipswich	58%			33%		65%	62%
KIPP Academy Lynn Charter	40%		52%	35%	33%	59%
Lawrence	19%		18%	18%	18%	25%	23%
Lawrence Family Development Charter	56%			56%	55%	57%
Lynn	16%	26%	14%	11%	11%	32%	31%
Lynnfield	79%	100%		64%	69%	82%	79%
Manchester Essex Regional	46%			9%		50%	46%
Marblehead	64%			37%	40%	69%	67%
Marblehead Community Charter Public	45%					44%	52%
Masconomet	56%			36%	46%	59%	55%
Methuen	23%	68%	17%	14%	14%	33%	28%
Newburyport	35%			15%		38%	36%
North Andover	49%	57%	45%	28%	19%	57%	54%
Peabody	27%	33%	17%	17%	12%	36%	31%
Pentucket	54%			23%	36%	61%	54%
River Valley Charter	61%					65%	63%
Rockport	25%			17%		32%	25%
Salem	19%		6%	10%	5%	35%	30%
Salem Academy Charter	25%			15%	11%	38%	36%
Saugus	44%		22%	37%	40%	50%	44%
Swampscott	41%			21%	32%	47%	44%
Triton	37%			30%	20%	42%	37%

Source: Massachusetts Department of Elementary & Secondary Education

Number of Students Passing Grade 8 Math, 2022

	All Students	Asian	Black or African American	Economically Disadvantaged	Hispanic or Latino	Not Economically Disadvantaged	White
Essex County, MA	2,893	163	63	826	581	2,059	1,901
Middlesex County, MA	7,886	1,656	215	1,228	578	6,656	4,916
Massachusetts	25,399	3,575	1,167	5,869	2,736	19,528	16,776
School Districts in Essex
Amesbury	75			18	5	57	65
Andover	302	78	9	23	13	279	193
Beverly	99		2	16	7	83	84
Community Day Charter Public School - Gateway	18			13	17	5
Community Day Charter Public School - Prospect	19			11	19	8
Community Day Charter Public School - R. Kingman Webster	9			5	5
Danvers	65			15	3	50	56
Georgetown	40			6		34	36
Gloucester	61			20	3	41	54
Hamilton-Wenham	72			8		64	67
Haverhill	157	6	6	71	42	86	98
Hill View Montessori Charter Public	5					5	5
Ipswich	74			9		65	67
KIPP Academy Lynn Charter	49		14	33	28	16
Lawrence	209		2	183	191	26	7
Lawrence Family Development Charter	42			34	41	8
Lynn	185	25	13	101	88	84	46
Lynnfield	125	17		16	9	109	95
Manchester Essex Regional	50			1		49	50
Marblehead	126			11	6	115	111
Marblehead Community Charter Public	15					11	13
Masconomet	178			12	6	166	153
Methuen	134	15	4	43	37	91	71
Newburyport	59			4		55	58
North Andover	180	17	5	31	11	149	135
Peabody	133	5	3	40	10	93	113
Pentucket	81			7	4	74	73
River Valley Charter	17					17	15
Rockport	17			5		12	16
Salem	47		1	16	5	31	35
Salem Academy Charter	17			6	4	11	9
Saugus	94		4	39	18	55	60
Swampscott	71			8	7	63	58
Triton	68			21	2	47	58

Source: Massachusetts Department of Elementary & Secondary Education

Percent of Students Passing Grade 8 Math, 2017

	All Students	Asian	Black or African American	Economically Disadvantaged	Hispanic or Latino	Not Economically Disadvantaged	White
Essex County, MA	48%	71%	34%	48%	33%	48%	54%
Middlesex County, MA	57%	78%	32%	57%	30%	57%	61%
Massachusetts	48%	74%	24%	48%	27%	48%	54%
School Districts in Essex
Amesbury	57%			57%	36%	57%	60%
Andover	63%	90%	36%	63%	19%	63%	60%
Beverly	50%	70%	40%	50%	38%	50%	51%
Community Day Charter Public School - Prospect	54%			54%	52%	54%
Danvers	44%			44%	18%	44%	47%
Georgetown	60%			60%		60%	61%
Gloucester	45%			45%	26%	45%	47%
Hamilton-Wenham	54%			54%		54%	54%
Haverhill	40%		38%	40%	24%	40%	47%
Hill View Montessori Charter Public	21%			21%		21%	20%
Ipswich	54%			54%		54%	57%
KIPP Academy Lynn Charter	74%		60%	74%	79%	74%
Lawrence	36%	77%	30%	36%	34%	36%	49%
Lawrence Family Development Charter	67%			67%	67%	67%
Lynn	34%	45%	28%	34%	28%	34%	47%
Lynnfield	70%			70%		70%	69%
Manchester Essex Regional	57%			57%		57%	56%
Marblehead	62%			62%	38%	62%	64%
Marblehead Community Charter Public	69%			69%		69%	67%
Masconomet	64%	71%		64%		64%	63%
Methuen	41%	56%		41%	25%	41%	50%
Newburyport	68%			68%		68%	69%
North Andover	65%	94%	30%	65%	26%	65%	67%
Peabody	40%		18%	40%	17%	40%	45%
Pentucket	35%			35%		35%	35%
River Valley Charter	78%			78%		78%	77%
Rockport	47%			47%		47%	47%
Salem	40%			40%	29%	40%	50%
Salem Academy Charter	60%			60%	34%	60%	87%
Saugus	35%			35%	26%	35%	36%
Swampscott	69%			69%	38%	69%	73%
Triton	38%			38%		38%	40%

Source: Massachusetts Department of Elementary & Secondary Education

Number of Students Passing Grade 8 Math, 2017

	All Students	Asian	Black or African American	Economically Disadvantaged	Hispanic or Latino	Not Economically Disadvantaged	White
Essex County, MA	4,140	207	61	4,140	814	4,140	2,862
Middlesex County, MA	9,164	1,400	301	9,164	548	9,164	6,409
Massachusetts	33,903	3,417	1,425	33,903	3,302	33,903	24,601
School Districts in Essex
Amesbury	99			99	5	99	86
Andover	326	85	4	326	4	326	227
Beverly	165	7	4	165	14	165	135
Community Day Charter Public School - Prospect	25			25	23	25
Danvers	125			125	4	125	115
Georgetown	70			70		70	69
Gloucester	88			88	6	88	78
Hamilton-Wenham	75			75		75	65
Haverhill	248		6	248	46	248	191
Hill View Montessori Charter Public	7			7		7	5
Ipswich	88			88		88	84
KIPP Academy Lynn Charter	85		15	85	59	85
Lawrence	381	20	3	381	332	381	25
Lawrence Family Development Charter	37			37	36	37
Lynn	317	41	24	317	155	317	87
Lynnfield	135			135		135	120
Manchester Essex Regional	74			74		74	70
Marblehead	161			161	6	161	142
Marblehead Community Charter Public	27			27		27	24
Masconomet	213	10		213		213	190
Methuen	235	14		235	50	235	162
Newburyport	132			132		132	124
North Andover	271	30	3	271	10	271	224
Peabody	176		2	176	9	176	160
Pentucket	83			83		83	77
River Valley Charter	25			25		25	20
Rockport	37			37		37	36
Salem	103			103	29	103	66
Salem Academy Charter	43			43	10	43	26
Saugus	77			77	8	77	62
Swampscott	139			139	8	139	120
Triton	73			73		73	72

Source: Massachusetts Department of Elementary & Secondary Education

INDICATORS	TREND \| ESSEX COUNTY
People 65 or Older Living Alone	Decreasing
Early Prenatal Care by Mother's Race/Ethnicity	Not Applicable
Prevalence of Overweight Adults	Not Applicable
Preterm Births	Increasing
Infant Mortality Rate	Maintaining
Children with Elevated Blood Lead Levels	Decreasing
Children Living in Poverty	Increasing
Children Living in Poverty by Race/Ethnicity	Not Applicable
Disengaged Youth	Maintaining
Live Births to Teen Mothers	Decreasing
Youth Arrests	Decreasing
Arts, Entertainment and Recreation Establishments	Maintaining
Arts, Entertainment and Recreation Employment	Maintaining
Tourism Spending	Increasing
Voter Participation Rate	Increasing
Charitable Contributions	Maintaining
Protected Land	Not Applicable
Days with Good Air Quality	Increasing
Beach Contamination	Increasing
Daily Water Use per Resident	Decreasing
Crimes Against People	Maintaining
Crimes Against Property	Decreasing
Drug-Related Arrests	Maintaining
Reports of Domestic Violence	Increasing
Incarceration Rates	Decreasing
Recidivism	Decreasing
Households Without Vehicles	Decreasing
Means of Transportation to Work	Not Applicable
Traffic Injuries and Fatalities	Maintaining
Households With Internet Access	Not Applicable
Change in Total Population	Increasing
Change in Population by Age/Sex	Not Applicable
People with Disabilities	Maintaining
Households by Type	Not Applicable
Single-Parent Families by Sex	Not Applicable
Single-Parent Families by Race/Ethnicity	Not Applicable
Change in Population by Race/Ethnicity	Not Applicable
Foreign-Born Population	Increasing
Language Diversity	Increasing
Change in Total Jobs	Increasing
Change in Jobs by Sector	Not Applicable
Change in Average Salary	Increasing
Change in Average Salary by Sector	Not Applicable
Average Salary by Sector	Not Applicable
Median Earnings by Occupation by Gender	Not Applicable
People Entering/Leaving County for Work	Not Applicable
Employer Size	Not Applicable
Self-Employment Revenue	Increasing
Business Ownership by Race/Ethnicity	Not Applicable
Unemployment Rate	Increasing
Unemployment Rate by Race/Ethnicity	Not Applicable
Prekindergarten Participation	Not Applicable
Female Enrollment in School	Not Applicable
Chronically Absent Students	Increasing
Per-Student Spending	Increasing
Bullying	Decreasing
Student Performance on Grade 3 Reading	Not Applicable
Student Performance on Grade 8 Math by Student Group	Not Applicable
Student Performance on Grade 10 English Language Arts	Not Applicable
Student Performance on Grade 10 Math	Not Applicable
High School Cohort Graduation Rate	Increasing
High School Cohort Graduation Rate by Student Group	Not Applicable
Education Levels of Adults	Not Applicable
Bachelor's Degree or Higher by Race/Ethnicity	Not Applicable
Income in Relation to Poverty Level	Not Applicable
People Living in Poverty by Race/Ethnicity	Not Applicable
Median Household Income	Increasing
Median Household Income by Race/Ethnicity	Not Applicable
Median Household Income by Household Type	Not Applicable
Living Wage Rate by Household Type	Not Applicable
Access to Financial Services, by Race/Ethnicity	Not Applicable
Households Receiving Temporary Assistance	Increasing
Households Receiving Federal Food Assistance	Increasing
Participation in Food Assistance by Race/Ethnicity	Not Applicable
Earned Income Tax Credit Participation	Decreasing
Economically Disadvantaged Students	Increasing
Median Home Value	Increasing
Cost of Homeownership	Increasing
Cost of Renting	Increasing
Homeownership Rates	Maintaining
Homeownership Rates by Race/Ethnicity	Not Applicable
Homeless Persons	Maintaining
People Without Health Insurance	Decreasing
Medical Care Expenses	Increasing
Prevalence of Children with Asthma	Maintaining
Prevalence of Overweight Children	Maintaining
Diabetes Incidence	Decreasing
Chronic Disease Among Older Adults	Increasing
Cancer Incidence	Decreasing
Cancer Mortality Rate	Decreasing
Heart Disease Mortality Rate	Decreasing
Mortality Rate	Decreasing
People who Smoke	Not Applicable
Use of Illegal Drugs	Not Applicable
Youth Use of Illegal Drugs	Not Applicable
Substance Abuse Treatment Admissions	Not Applicable
Drug Overdose Mortality Rate	Increasing
Prevalence of Mental Illness	Maintaining
Suicide Rate	Maintaining
Children Living in Poverty by Race/Ethnicity	Not Applicable
Single-Parent Families by Race/Ethnicity	Not Applicable
Change in Population by Race/Ethnicity	Not Applicable
Unemployment Rate by Race/Ethnicity	Not Applicable
Student Performance on Grade 3 Reading	Not Applicable
Student Performance on Grade 8 Math by Student Group	Not Applicable
Student Performance on Grade 10 English Language Arts	Not Applicable
Student Performance on Grade 10 Math	Not Applicable
High School Cohort Graduation Rate by Student Group	Not Applicable
Bachelor's Degree or Higher by Race/Ethnicity	Not Applicable
People Living in Poverty by Race/Ethnicity	Not Applicable
Median Household Income by Race/Ethnicity	Not Applicable
Participation in Food Assistance by Race/Ethnicity	Not Applicable
Homeownership Rates by Race/Ethnicity	Not Applicable

INDICATORS

TREND | ESSEX COUNTY