Education is a point of pride for the MetroWest region, which has overall high elementary reading scores and high school graduation rates as well as an extremely well-educated adult population and strong, varied educational institutions including Wellesley College, Bentley University, Framingham State University and Massachusetts Bay Community College.

But the educational benefits of the region do not pertain to all in MetroWest – all educational metrics are lower for economically disadvantaged students and adults of color. The reasons for such disparities are complex and have historical roots, including inequitable access to high-quality schools.  As well, the COVID-19 pandemic had significant negative impacts on student metrics across groups that continue to linger.

Consider:

• Third-grade reading proficiency in 2023 – which is critical to overall academic success – was at 66% among Asian students, 56% among white students, and just 32% and 23% among Black or African American students and Hispanic or Latino students, respectively. These represent significant declines for all groups of students since 2019. Proficiency rates were lowest in Framingham (27%), Marlborough (29%), Milford (25%) and Waltham (33%) – most of which have more diverse and more disadvantaged student bodies.

• Eighth-grade math proficiency in 2023 was at 76% among Asian students, 50% among white students, and 21% and 20% among African American and Latino students, respectively. Among individual school districts, these rates were lowest in the Christa McAuliffe Charter school (18%), Marlborough and Boston school districts (24%), Framingham, Hudson, and Milford (all at 25%) and Foxborough (27%).. Rates for all groups in MetroWest were slightly higher than those at the state level, but the region’s racial and ethnic disparities were similar to Massachusetts as a whole.  All student groups saw drops of 5 percentage points or more since 2019.

• High school graduation rates in 2022 were 89% among African American students and 83% among Latino students, lower than the rates for Asian students and white students (96% and 94%, respectively).

• A majority (53%) of adults in MetroWest hold at least a bachelor’s degree in 2018-2022, up from 45% in 2008-2012 and far above the national rate of 34%. Yet, much lower shares of people of color have bachelor’s or higher degrees: 38% of African American residents of the region and 31% of Hispanic residents.

• This degree stratification is reflected in admission rates for public colleges and universities in MetroWest: these are not only becoming more selective in admissions, but also have lower rates of acceptance for Black (16%) and Latino (18%) students, as compared to white (23%) and Asian (21%) students.

Prekindergarten helps prepare children both socially and academically for school and can be especially important in preparing low-income children for kindergarten. In MetroWest in 2022, 46% of 4-year-olds were enrolled in public or private prekindergarten programs, up from 37% in 2002 and about level with the state rate. The vast majority of these children, 78%, were enrolled in public prekindergarten programs.

School attendance also is critical to students’ ability to develop key skills and their future success in school. The pandemic caused a spike in student absenteeism which has not yet subsided. In 2023, 19% of students were chronically absent in MetroWest, below the state rate (22%). Beyond Boston, with the highest rate at 39%, rates were highest in Framingham (33%), Marlborough (31%), Dedham (28%), and Milford (27%), and lowest in Weston (5%).