Frequently asked questions

We're a community-based campaign of parents, educators, and neighbors working to make student achievement in Boston Public Schools visible, understandable, and impossible to ignore — and to hold district and city leaders accountable for improving it. We are pro-student, pro-teacher, and pro-public schools.

Yes — on the state's own annual test. On the Spring 2026 MCAS, 29% of BPS students in grades 3–8 met or exceeded expectations in English Language Arts and 29% did in Math. That means 7 in 10 students scored below grade level. In grade 10 — two years before they prepare to graduate — the numbers are better but still troubling: 33% met expectations in English and 33% in Math.

All of the numbers that you see here are shared by way of Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, and can be verified on the state’s website.

The Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System or MCAS is the statewide test given each spring in English Language Arts and Math. Results fall into four levels: Exceeding Expectations, Meeting Expectations, Partially Meeting, and Not Meeting. "Meeting or exceeding expectations" is the state's definition of performing at grade level. A student who "partially meets expectations" is not on grade level — even though the phrase can sound reassuring.

The BPS operating budget is about $1.7 billion a year or $37,000 per student, which is among the highest per-student spending in the country. That's exactly why the poor results demand attention: money alone is clearly not the missing ingredient, especially when student enrollment has declined for more than a decade while staffing levels have increased. The questions we need to ask are: why is the return on this investment is so low, and how can we push BPS to improve its instructional practices and curriculum to improve student learning?

No — the opposite. Teachers see these challenges up close every day, and many of the changes we want (improved instructional practices with meaningful professional development and support, the use of high quality instructional materials and evidence-based instruction) are things educators have been asking for. We're against complacency, not teachers.

Yes. Report-card grades and grade-level proficiency don't always match — a student can receive As and Bs while scoring below grade level on the annual state test, and issues of grade inflation has been seen across the country. Ask your school how your child performed on the twice mandated reading screenings in grades K-3, as well as their MCAS scores. And ask what those results mean. You can also look up your school's overall results on the state's website.

Visit our Data for Families page for a plain-language walkthrough, or go directly to the state's school profiles at reportcards.doe.mass.edu and search your school's name. (Please note 2026 school report cards are not yet posted. The most current results are from 2025.)

Three things: learn the data for your school, ask your school and district leaders what the plan is, and join us. Our Join Us page includes contact information for the Mayor, the School Committee, and the Superintendent — plus a sample message you can send in two minutes.