Of the 6,691 students who took part in the English Language Arts portion of the MCAS, 84% scored below proficiency in the 2023-24 school year, according to the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
In comparison, 14% met the subject benchmarks and 2% exceeded them.
The number of Lawrence Public Schools District students who failed their English Language Arts assessments rose by 4.9% from the previous school year.
Lawrence Public Schools District roughly covers schools within Essex County and has a main office in Lawrence.
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.
According to a 2025 analysis from WalletHub, Massachusetts education system was considered the best in the nation, based on factors such as class size, student performance, funding, school safety, and teacher qualifications.
| School Name | Students who did not meet standards (%) |
|---|---|
| Alexander B. Bruce School | 86.8% |
| Arlington Elementary School | 94.1% |
| Arlington Middle School | 89.6% |
| Edward F. Parthum School | 82.2% |
| Emily G. Wetherbee School | 84.5% |
| Francis M. Leahy School | 93.8% |
| Frost Middle School | 77% |
| Gerard A. Guilmette School | 93% |
| Guilmette Middle School | 82.8% |
| John K. Tarbox School | 79.6% |
| Lawrence High School | 77.7% |
| Leonard Middle School | 96.6% |
| Oliver Elementary School | 93.7% |
| Oliver Middle School | 82.9% |
| Parthum Middle School | 75.9% |
| Robert Frost School | 78.1% |
| School for Exceptional Studies | 100% |
| South Lawrence East Elementary School | 78.9% |
| Spark Academy | 75.5% |
