Of the 196 students who took part in the English Language Arts portion of the MCAS, 41.3% scored below proficiency in the 2022-23 school year, according to the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
In comparison, 44.4% met the subject benchmarks and 14.3% exceeded them.
The number of Pioneer Charter School of Science II District students who failed their English Language Arts assessments rose by 15.7% from the previous school year.
Pioneer Charter School of Science II District roughly covers schools within Essex County and has a main office in Saugus.
In the 2022-23 school year, 467,444 students took the English Language Arts test in Massachusetts with 55.3% failing the exam, 1.8% less 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.









