In the 2026 MCAS standardized testing across Massachusetts, English scores slipped even further behind pre-pandemic levels, while most other results remained largely flat.
MCAS FULL RESULTS
“We’re still not where we want to be in terms of our results,” said DESE Commissioner Pedro Martinez in an embargoed briefing Monday. “We are starting to see stabilization in math specifically, and so that is good to see. In literacy, we didn’t see the stabilization, especially at the high school level. Part of that is motivation, but also it’s not just all motivation. It’s also we have seen less of our students meeting our standards through middle school.”
In the 2026 MCAS scores released during the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education meeting Tuesday, English Language Arts scores in grades 3-8 fell two percentage points from 2025 to 40% meeting or exceeding expectations, a total of 12 points lost since 2019. In 10th grade, ELA passing scores plummeted another six points to 45%, falling 16 points behind 2019.
Math and civic scores meeting or exceeding expectations remained largely flat from 2025, while science scores saw a modest increase for grade 8 and decreases for grades 5 and 10. Overall, scores remained between seven and 16 points behind pre-pandemic levels.
The 2026 release follows slightly more mixed results in 2025 – including drops in 10th grade scores in the first year after the overturn of the MCAS graduation requirement – after several concerning decreases in 2024 and the only slight post-pandemic recovery trend in 2023. Though 10th grade ELA scores dropped six points in 2025, 3rd through 8th students passing English jumped three points.
In response to the 2026 results, state education officials highlighted some ongoing efforts they said would address the English gaps particularly.
“I want to briefly highlight three efforts currently underway that we believe will strengthen the student experience across K-12 schools and are responsive to some of the results that you will hear,” said Education Secretary Steve Zrike.
Zrike outlined the efforts to expand literacy education across Massachusetts in the state early literacy education bill signed in June, which includes curricula requirements and teacher training resources; efforts to reduce chronic absenteeism; the new statewide graduation requirements, which were implemented to replace the MCAS standards after the 2024 overturn; and the record $7.66 billion in Chapter 70 education in this year’s budget, an increase of $300 million over the last year.
“I will say what makes me optimistic is the fact that again, as the secretary said, the administration already started seeing this, and that’s why we launched our literacy grants,” said Martinez. “And we’re already working with hundreds of schools in what we know are the right solutions, making sure that our teachers have access to strong content, that they’re supported with strong instructional practices, that they’re supported with strong professional development, and then just more supports for our students in general.”
Of the elementary and middle school grades, the highest ELA passing scores were among the youngest students, with 43% of 3rd graders meeting or exceeding expectations, the only recorded increase from 2025 in English.
For math scores, grades 3 through 8 saw 41% meeting or exceeding expectations, showing no change from 2025. In grade 10, 44% of students passed math exams in 2026, a relatively flat decrease of one point from 2025 but remaining still 15 points behind 2019.
In just the second year of the exam, 8th grade civics scores remained relatively flat at 40%.
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For science, 10th graders saw a steeper drop of five points to 41% passing in 2026. Of the younger students, grade 5 dropped three points to 43% while grade 8 jumped two points to 39%.
Of districts, 14 districts met or exceeded the 2019 pre-pandemic proficiency levels in both ELA and in math in grades 3 through 8 in 2026, Martinez said Tuesday.
“I want to invite and celebrate some of our local education agencies or districts that have met or exceeded their pre-pandemic proficiency levels,” said Martinez. “Even though 2019 is not our final destination, it is an important benchmark along our journey and one that we want to keep recognizing.”
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