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Arts & Culture
Students Taking Arts Courses
Increasing
Percent of Students Taking an Arts Course
What does this measure?
The number of students completing at least one arts course in grades K to 12.
Why is this important?
Participating in arts allows students to explore different perspectives, reflect on emotions and foster creativity and innovation. Studies have shown that arts educational experiences can lead to more positive social and academic development outcomes among students. Taking arts courses in school allows students an opportunity to gain the benefits from arts experiences in an accessible way.
How is our region doing?
In MetroWest, 83.5% of students took an arts course in 2023, higher than the state percentage of 81.7%. The region's percentage was similar to that in Middlesex County (83.6%), Norfolk (83.8%) and Worcester (82.9%). The percentage of students taking arts courses has increased 1.6 percentage points since 2018, slightly lower than the 2-percentage-point increase at the state level.
Notes about the data
None
Percent of Students Taking an Arts Course
| 2018 | 2019 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts | 79.7% | 80.4% | 77.5% | 81.1% | 81.7% |
| Region | 81.9% | 82.7% | 80.6% | 83.4% | 83.5% |
| Middlesex County | 82.7% | 83.1% | 81.8% | 83.3% | 83.6% |
| Norfolk County | 81.8% | 81.9% | 80.6% | 83.8% | 83.8% |
| Worcester County | 80.6% | 82.6% | 78.5% | 83.2% | 82.9% |
| Acton-Boxborough School District | 79.6% | 78.9% | 76.4% | 81.0% | 81.4% |
| Ashland School District | 87.7% | 88.2% | 88.4% | 82.4% | 90.8% |
| Bedford School District | 82.3% | 82.7% | 84.3% | 83.9% | 82.4% |
| Bellingham School District | 90.7% | 88.6% | 79.8% | 88.3% | 89.9% |
| Carlisle School District | 100.0% | 100.0% | 99.5% | 99.7% | 100.0% |
| Christa McAuliffe Charter Public (District) | 99.2% | 0.0% | 98.8% | 98.5% | |
| Concord School District | 99.5% | 99.1% | 99.5% | 99.2% | 99.4% |
| Concord-Carlisle School District | 52.5% | 55.2% | 52.2% | 50.1% | 48.9% |
| Dedham School District | 87.2% | 86.6% | 85.7% | 86.0% | 85.1% |
| Dover School District | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% |
| Dover-Sherborn School District | 89.4% | 89.0% | 87.1% | 90.4% | 89.5% |
| Framingham School District | 86.8% | 86.1% | 86.9% | 86.9% | 86.2% |
| Franklin School District | 88.3% | 87.9% | 84.7% | 86.4% | 84.7% |
| Harvard School District | 82.7% | 82.6% | 84.6% | 86.7% | 87.4% |
| Holliston School District | 93.0% | 92.0% | 89.2% | 90.6% | 92.4% |
| Hopkinton School District | 85.7% | 86.3% | 87.5% | 86.7% | 86.7% |
| Hudson School District | 86.9% | 86.9% | 90.0% | 90.3% | 92.0% |
| Lexington School District | 95.7% | 94.9% | 93.9% | 93.6% | 93.8% |
| Lincoln School District | 98.2% | 99.4% | 100.0% | 99.0% | 99.9% |
| Lincoln-Sudbury School District | 62.5% | 65.4% | 69.1% | 66.6% | 62.8% |
| Littleton School District | 86.4% | 89.1% | 67.4% | 67.1% | 66.8% |
| Marlborough School District | 90.1% | 90.1% | 76.3% | 91.0% | 92.8% |
| Maynard School District | 54.0% | 83.6% | 79.0% | 90.8% | 91.5% |
| Medfield School District | 89.4% | 89.5% | 87.8% | 88.6% | 88.5% |
| Medway School District | 82.9% | 84.6% | 89.5% | 88.3% | 89.4% |
| Milford School District | 90.3% | 87.9% | 84.5% | 84.2% | 83.9% |
| Millis School District | 71.1% | 71.9% | 80.4% | 77.0% | 75.7% |
| Nashoba School District | 90.4% | 90.1% | 90.3% | 87.5% | 89.8% |
| Natick School District | 88.1% | 87.3% | 90.1% | 90.5% | 90.4% |
| Needham School District | 85.0% | 83.1% | 85.9% | 92.3% | 92.9% |
| Sherborn School District | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% |
| Southborough School District | 93.6% | 95.9% | 89.8% | 93.4% | 94.4% |
| Sudbury School District | 90.4% | 99.2% | 96.7% | 97.9% | 97.4% |
| Walpole School District | 85.4% | 86.9% | 85.0% | 90.0% | 91.3% |
| Waltham School District | 88.4% | 86.5% | 82.6% | 85.9% | 86.8% |
| Wayland School District | 84.5% | 83.8% | 82.4% | 83.5% | 83.9% |
| Wellesley School District | 88.9% | 87.4% | 85.9% | 87.0% | 85.4% |
| Westborough School District | 82.4% | 81.8% | 84.4% | 85.4% | 84.5% |
| Westford School District | 84.0% | 85.4% | 87.5% | 88.3% | 84.3% |
| Weston School District | 89.6% | 92.4% | 89.5% | 93.8% | 95.0% |
| Westwood School District | 90.4% | 90.3% | 85.6% | 90.4% | 90.6% |
Source: Massachusetts Department of Elementary & Secondary Education
Number of Students Taking an Arts Course
| 2018 | 2019 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts | 740,522 | 742,270 | 685,050 | 722,669 | 725,898 |
| Region | 350,482 | 353,097 | 329,821 | 346,515 | 345,456 |
| Middlesex County | 171,378 | 172,422 | 164,502 | 170,054 | 169,330 |
| Norfolk County | 80,117 | 80,378 | 75,833 | 79,499 | 79,452 |
| Worcester County | 98,987 | 100,297 | 89,486 | 96,962 | 96,674 |
| Acton-Boxborough School District | 4,405 | 4,327 | 3,946 | 4,150 | 4,127 |
| Ashland School District | 2,339 | 2,438 | 2,405 | 2,364 | 2,581 |
| Bedford School District | 2,154 | 2,170 | 2,178 | 2,150 | 2,052 |
| Bellingham School District | 1,975 | 1,889 | 1,542 | 1,690 | 1,718 |
| Carlisle School District | 605 | 592 | 577 | 606 | 592 |
| Christa McAuliffe Charter Public (District) | 384 | 0 | 395 | 383 | |
| Concord School District | 2,073 | 2,061 | 1,971 | 1,932 | 1,900 |
| Concord-Carlisle School District | 663 | 708 | 684 | 662 | 642 |
| Dedham School District | 2,286 | 2,247 | 2,110 | 2,127 | 2,130 |
| Dover School District | 475 | 481 | 472 | 483 | 496 |
| Dover-Sherborn School District | 1,071 | 1,064 | 1,030 | 1,053 | 1,030 |
| Framingham School District | 7,471 | 7,588 | 7,499 | 7,965 | 7,827 |
| Franklin School District | 4,606 | 4,503 | 4,031 | 4,047 | 3,895 |
| Harvard School District | 907 | 884 | 836 | 882 | 872 |
| Holliston School District | 2,619 | 2,578 | 2,411 | 2,485 | 2,484 |
| Hopkinton School District | 3,024 | 3,161 | 3,400 | 3,451 | 3,559 |
| Hudson School District | 2,281 | 2,220 | 2,169 | 2,139 | 2,155 |
| Lexington School District | 6,941 | 6,895 | 6,465 | 6,397 | 6,445 |
| Lincoln School District | 1,010 | 1,075 | 937 | 934 | 908 |
| Lincoln-Sudbury School District | 954 | 1,002 | 1,048 | 1,007 | 933 |
| Littleton School District | 1,385 | 1,411 | 1,031 | 1,068 | 1,090 |
| Marlborough School District | 4,187 | 4,247 | 3,585 | 4,505 | 4,528 |
| Maynard School District | 727 | 1,070 | 890 | 1,037 | 1,045 |
| Medfield School District | 2,301 | 2,287 | 2,160 | 2,206 | 2,193 |
| Medway School District | 1,858 | 1,836 | 1,846 | 1,842 | 1,875 |
| Milford School District | 3,718 | 3,721 | 3,554 | 3,724 | 3,705 |
| Millis School District | 886 | 845 | 902 | 878 | 858 |
| Nashoba School District | 2,884 | 2,847 | 2,731 | 2,642 | 2,648 |
| Natick School District | 4,762 | 4,713 | 4,673 | 4,724 | 4,748 |
| Needham School District | 4,744 | 4,691 | 4,693 | 5,050 | 5,057 |
| Sherborn School District | 394 | 383 | 378 | 396 | 398 |
| Southborough School District | 1,151 | 1,144 | 1,020 | 1,069 | 1,121 |
| Sudbury School District | 2,398 | 2,609 | 2,410 | 2,428 | 2,444 |
| Walpole School District | 3,208 | 3,231 | 3,071 | 3,198 | 3,261 |
| Waltham School District | 4,823 | 4,777 | 4,457 | 4,769 | 4,905 |
| Wayland School District | 2,312 | 2,272 | 2,239 | 2,269 | 2,265 |
| Wellesley School District | 4,360 | 4,250 | 3,738 | 3,665 | 3,496 |
| Westborough School District | 3,153 | 3,148 | 3,167 | 3,210 | 3,167 |
| Westford School District | 4,192 | 4,249 | 4,117 | 4,132 | 3,936 |
| Weston School District | 1,855 | 1,901 | 1,678 | 1,807 | 1,876 |
| Westwood School District | 2,798 | 2,769 | 2,494 | 2,601 | 2,595 |
Source: Massachusetts Department of Elementary & Secondary Education
Arts & Culture Indicators
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| INDICATORS | REGIONAL TREND |
|---|---|
| Arts, Entertainment and Recreation Establishments | Increasing |
| Tourism Spending | Maintaining |
| Arts, Entertainment and Recreation Employment | Maintaining |
| Arts Grants Distribution | Maintaining |
| Arts and Culture Attendance | Not Applicable |
| Arts Teachers in Public Schools | Increasing |
| Students Taking Arts Courses | Increasing |
| Students Taking Arts Courses, by Grade Level | Not Applicable |
| Students Taking Arts Courses, by Student Group | Not Applicable |
| Students Taking Arts Courses, by Subject | Not Applicable |
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