For Immediate Release:
Monday, September 29, 2025
Media Contact:
Dan O'Brien, Chief Communications Officer
Press Release
Worcester Public Schools Receives Annual Accountability Ratings for 2025
WORCESTER – Monday, September 29, 2025 – The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) has released annual accountability data for the Worcester Public Schools (WPS) for 2025, using data from the 2024-25 year.
The district maintained its overall classification of “not requiring assistance or intervention” for “making moderate progress toward targets,” with improvements in chronic absenteeism and graduation rates, and English learner language proficiency.
Additionally, 19 schools improved their overall accountability classifications while two remained unchanged over the prior year. Of the 44 total schools subject to accountability assessments, all except two made “significant” or “moderate” progress toward their targets.
Scores on the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) exam showed modest improvement overall in grades 3-8 and a decline overall in grade 10. The 2024-25 year marked the first in which high school students are no longer required to pass MCAS to graduate due to a change in state law.
“The data reflect the stability and modest gains we have experienced in student achievement and engagement over the past few years, but there is certainly more work to do,” said Superintendent Brian E. Allen. “While it’s important that we stay the course, we must continue to focus intently on our students the most in need of making academic gains. Our primary goal is to ensure all students succeed.”
District-Level Summary
WPS met 47% of its targets in 2024-25, the same as 2023-24 and an increase of six points from 2022-23.
The four-year graduation rate for 2024 was 86%, marking a 1 percentage point increase from the prior year. The average graduation rate for Massachusetts is 88%.
The annual dropout rate was 2% in 2024, a 1 percentage point improvement from 2023.
There was an increase in the percentage of English Learners making progress toward proficiency:
Nearly 20% of high school students (grades 9-12) made progress in 2025, compared to 16% in 2024 and 11% in 2023.
More than 43% of grade K-8 students made progress in 2025, compared to 42% in 2024 and 39% in 2023.
Chronic absenteeism rates improved by nearly 4 percentage points for students in grades 1-8 and just over 2 percentage points for grades 9-12.
District-wide MCAS scores show the following:
English Language Arts grades 3-8 meeting or exceeding expectations: 26% in 2025 compared to 23% in 2024 and 27% in 2023.
English Language Arts grade 10 meeting or exceeding expectations: 33% in 2025 compared to 40% in 2024 and 36% in 2023.
Math grades 3-8 meeting or exceeding expectations: 24% in 2025 compared to 23% in 2024 and 25% in 2023.
Math grade 10 meeting or exceeding expectations: 24% in 2025 compared to 27% in 2024 and 27% in 2023.
School-Level Summary
Of the 44 WPS schools to receive accountability classifications, 30 were deemed “not requiring assistance or intervention” and 14 were labeled “requiring assistance or intervention.” These numbers are the same as the prior year but some schools changed designations.
Nineteen schools increased their overall accountability scores from the prior year. The following schools increased by 5 points or more:
Thorndyke Road Elementary School: 15 point increase
Lake View Elementary School: 14 point increase
Goddard Elementary School of Science and Technology: 11 point increase
Columbus Park Elementary School: 9 point increase
Canterbury Street Elementary School: 8 point increase
Francis J. McGrath Elementary School: 8 point increase
Norrback Avenue Elementary School: 6 point increase
Flagg Street Elementary School: 5 point increase
Out of the 19 schools that made substantial progress toward targets, the following schools met 75% or more of their targets:
Lake View Elementary School: 90% of targets met
Forest Grove Middle School: 82% of targets met
Thorndyke Road Elementary School: 79% of targets met
Goddard Elementary School of Science and Technology: 75% of targets met
All WPS 2024-25 accountability data is available on the DESE website: MCAS data; overall accountability data.
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