Of the 1,622 students who took part in the English Language Arts portion of the MCAS, 60.6% scored below proficiency in the 2023-24 school year, according to the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
In comparison, 34.1% met the subject benchmarks and 5.3% exceeded them.
The number of North Middlesex Regional School District students who failed their English Language Arts assessments rose by 14.2% from the previous school year.
North Middlesex Regional School District roughly covers schools within Middlesex County and has a main office in Towsend.
In the 2023-24 school year, 464,640 students took the English Language Arts test in Massachusetts with 58.2% failing the exam, 4.6% more than the year before.
Massachusetts spends more money on K-12 education per pupil than most other states, ranking fifth in the nation, according to a 2025 report. The state allocates over $24,000 per pupil, totaling $22.5 billion annually.
| School Name | Students who did not meet standards (%) |
|---|---|
| Ashby Elementary School | 53% |
| Hawthorne Brook School | 65.9% |
| Nissitissit Middle School | 66.5% |
| North Middlesex Regional High School | 33.7% |
| Spaulding Memorial School | 56.4% |
| Varnum Brook School | 57.5% |
