Early literacy skills are critical to a successful school experience. Third grade is considered an important milestone in a student's career in terms of reading proficiency and is correlated to whether a student will graduate high school. Up through third grade, students are learning to read; after third grade, they must be able to read in order to learn. There are persistent gaps in academic achievement among students of different races, ethnicities and incomes.

In 2023, 40% of Worcester County third graders were considered proficient in reading, down 13 percentage points from 2019 and lower than the state passing rate of 44%. Proficiency was lower among Hispanic or Latino students (20%), economically disadvantaged students (23%), and African American or Black students (32%) compared with students who are White (46%), not economically disadvantaged (56%), or Asian students (64%). Proficiency rates declined from 2019 among all groups; however, African American students in Worcester County had a reading proficiency rate that was four percentage points higher than similar peers at the state.

Among school districts in the County, three had overall proficiency rates of 70% or more while 10 had proficiency rates lower than 30% in 2023. Rates were highest in Southborough (78%), Harvard (71%) and Petersham (70%), and lowest in Southbridge (8%) and Seven Hills Charter Public (15%).

It is important to note that standardized educational tests like the MCAS do not offer a full picture of the performance and/or abilities of a student. It is crucial to contextualize these data in contrast with other social factors that can have a deep impact on student performance and learning.

Studies point to a variety of factors believed to contribute to disparities in test scores and other measures of student achievement nationwide. Most school systems in the United States are highly segregated, and Black and Latino students disproportionally attend schools with high proportions of low-income students and lower levels of resources such as access to early learning opportunities, experienced teachers, advanced courses, and modern technology and facilities. In addition, teachers across all school systems in the nation tend to be disproportionately White, and the cultural relevance of teaching practices and curriculum may vary.

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.