Youth And Education






Key Trends

Worcester County has relatively low levels of youth living in poverty but marked racial and ethnic disparities in educational performance metrics, which have not yet returned to pre-pandemic levels.  

Perhaps the greatest risk factor to children’s success is poverty. Children raised in poverty are at higher risk of health and social problems, including Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES), which can negatively impact performance in school and diminish their chances for successful adult lives. In 2018-22, about 20,700 children in Worcester County were living in poverty, or 12% of all children under 18. This rate represents a two-point decline from 2013-17 and is the same as the state rate. Poverty rates were highest among Hispanic or Latino (24%) and Black or African American (19%) children.

Pre-kindergarten helps prepare children both socially and academically for school. In 2022, 50% of Worcester County 4-year-olds were enrolled in a pre-kindergarten education program, on par with the state rate. This is a 13-point increase from 2021 but still below pre-pandemic levels which hovered around 60-65% between 2010 and 2019.

While standardized testing indicators, like the MCAS, do not offer a full picture of the performance and/or abilities of a student, they can help track student progress and achievement. It is crucial to contextualize these data in contrast with other social factors that can have a deep impact on student performance and learning.

In Worcester County, the 2023 shares of students considered proficient in third grade and tenth grade English Language Arts (ELA), and eighth grade and tenth grade math were below 2019 pre-pandemic levels. The proficiency rate for third grade ELA declined 13 points from 2019 to 2023, eighth grade math declined eight points, and tenth grade ELA and math declined five points and nine points respectively. Declines were similar at the state level.

Additionally, all standardized testing metrics in Worcester County were lower for students of color. The reasons for such disparities are complex and have historical roots, including inequitable access to high quality schools. Consider that in 2023:

  • Third grade reading proficiency – which is critical for future academic success – was 64% among Asian students and 46% among White students, and just 20% and 32% among Hispanic or Latino and Black or African American students, respectively.
  • Eighth grade Math proficiency in 2023 was lower among Latino or Hispanic (15%) and Black or African American (25%) students compared to those who are White (40%) or Asian (74%).
  • Tenth grade English Language Arts passing rates were 80% for Asian students and 63% for White students compared to 40% for Black or African American and 34% for Hispanic or Latino students.
  • Tenth grade Math passing rates were lower among Hispanic or Latino students (23%), and Black or African American students (25%) compared those who are White (57%) or Asian (81%).

On a bright note, Black and African American students in Worcester County had higher third grade reading and eighth grade math proficiency rates than peers at the state level.

The disparities in high school graduation rates were less stark, with 91% of the 2018-19 cohort graduating in 2022 but only 85% of students with low-income backgrounds and 84% of Latino students, compared to 97% of Asian students, 93% of White students and 90% of Black or African American students.

Whether a young person is in school or working can be an indicator of future success. School and work help teens acquire the skills, knowledge and supports they need to become productive adults. Teens who drop out of school and do not become part of the workforce are at risk of experiencing negative outcomes as they transition from adolescence to adulthood. In 2018-22, 4% of youth ages 16-19 in Worcester County were not in school or not working, slightly lower than the state rate of 5% and less than the national rate of 7%.

 




INDICATORS TREND
Arts, Entertainment and Recreation Establishments 1
Increasing
Average Charitable Contribution 0
Maintaining
Households With Internet Access 1
Increasing
Protected Land 10 Not Applicable*
Voter Participation Rate -1
Decreasing
Voter Registration Rate 0
Maintaining
Arrest Rate by Race/Ethnicity -1
Decreasing
Change in Total Population 1
Increasing
Change in Population by Race/Ethnicity 1
Increasing
Foreign-Born Population 1
Increasing
Language Diversity 1
Increasing
Population by Age -1
Decreasing
Households by Type 0
Maintaining
Single-Parent Families by Race/Ethnicity -1
Decreasing
Median Household Income 0
Maintaining
Household Income by Race/Ethnicity 0
Maintaining
80/20 Income Ratio 0
Maintaining
Income in Relation to Poverty Level 0
Maintaining
People Living in Poverty 0
Maintaining
People Living in Poverty, by Education Level 1
Increasing
People Living in Poverty, by Age 1
Increasing
People Living in Poverty, by Race/Ethnicity 1
Increasing
Homeownership Rates, by Race/Ethnicity 1
Increasing
Overall Housing Cost Burden -1
Decreasing
Cost of Rent, by Race/Ethnicity 10 Not Applicable*
Median Home Value by Race/Ethnicity 10 Not Applicable*
Homelessness 10 Not Applicable*
Households Receiving SNAP by Race/Ethnicity 1
Increasing
Household Receiving Temporary Assistance 0
Maintaining
Households Without Vehicles 0
Maintaining
Education Levels of Adults by Race/Ethnicity 1
Increasing
Change in Employment by Sector 10 Not Applicable*
Change in Average Salary by Sector 10 Not Applicable*
Female to Male Earnings Ratio 0
Maintaining
Unemployment Rate by Race/Ethnicity -1
Decreasing
Employer Size 1
Increasing
Business Ownership, by Race/Ethnicity 10 Not Applicable*
Self-Employment Revenue 0
Maintaining
People Entering/Leaving County for Work 1
Increasing
Early Prenatal Care by Mother's Race/Ethnicity 1
Increasing
Preterm Births 10 Not Applicable*
Infant Mortality by Mother's Race/Ethnicity 10 Not Applicable*
Children with Elevated Blood Lead Levels -1
Decreasing
Prevalence of Children with Asthma 1
Increasing
People with Disabilities 1
Increasing
People Without Health Insurance -1
Decreasing
Cancer Incidence 0
Maintaining
Diabetes Incidence -1
Decreasing
Substance Abuse Treatment Admissions 1
Increasing
Opioid Overdose Mortality Rate 1
Increasing
Children Living in Poverty 0
Maintaining
Children Living in Poverty, by Race/Ethnicity -1
Decreasing
Economically Disadvantaged Students 1
Increasing
Disengaged Youth -1
Decreasing
Prekindergarten Participation -1
Decreasing
Student Performance on Grade 3 English, by Student Subgroup -1
Decreasing
Student Performance on Grade 8 Math, by Student Subgroup -1
Decreasing
Student Performance on Grade 10 English, by Student Subgroup -1
Decreasing
Student Performance on Grade 10 Math, by Student Subgroup -1
Decreasing
High School Cohort Graduation Rate, by Student Group 1
Increasing
Arrest Rate by Race/Ethnicity -1
Decreasing
Change in Population by Race/Ethnicity 1
Increasing
Single-Parent Families by Race/Ethnicity -1
Decreasing
Household Income by Race/Ethnicity 0
Maintaining
People Living in Poverty, by Race/Ethnicity 1
Increasing
Homeownership Rates, by Race/Ethnicity 1
Increasing
Cost of Rent, by Race/Ethnicity 10 Not Applicable*
Median Home Value by Race/Ethnicity 10 Not Applicable*
Households Receiving SNAP by Race/Ethnicity 1
Increasing
Education Levels of Adults by Race/Ethnicity 1
Increasing
Unemployment Rate by Race/Ethnicity -1
Decreasing
Business Ownership, by Race/Ethnicity 10 Not Applicable*
Early Prenatal Care by Mother's Race/Ethnicity 1
Increasing
Infant Mortality by Mother's Race/Ethnicity 10 Not Applicable*
Children Living in Poverty, by Race/Ethnicity -1
Decreasing
Student Performance on Grade 3 English, by Student Subgroup -1
Decreasing
Student Performance on Grade 8 Math, by Student Subgroup -1
Decreasing
Student Performance on Grade 10 English, by Student Subgroup -1
Decreasing
Student Performance on Grade 10 Math, by Student Subgroup -1
Decreasing
High School Cohort Graduation Rate, by Student Group 1
Increasing





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