Education
Students Taking Arts Courses, by Student Group
Increasing
Percent of Students Taking an Arts Course by Student Group, 2023
What does this measure?
The number of students completing at least one arts course in grades K to 12, broken down by student group.
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.
How is our region doing?
In 2023, Multiracial students had the largest percentage of students taking arts courses in MetroWest at 86.7%, followed by Asian students (84.5%) and White students (83.6%). Black students had the lowest percentage of students taking arts courses at 81.9%, similar to Hispanic students and economically disadvantaged students (both 82%).
Black students had the largest increase in the percentage of students taking arts courses since 2018 with a 2.5 percentage point increase, followed by Hispanic students and economically disadvantaged students with a 2.1 and 2 percentage point increase respectively.
The percentage of students taking arts courses was higher in MetroWest than at the state level across all student groups.
Why do these disparities exist?
Historically, marginalized communities, particularly Black, Hispanic, and Indigenous people of color have faced systemic barriers to access in many areas of society, including education. In the arts, these barriers can be exacerbated by disparities in school funding that can leave schools in predominantly low-income or racially diverse neighborhoods without the resources to offer comprehensive arts programs.
Notes about the data
Multi-race student group refers to students selecting more than one racial category and non-Hispanic.
Percent of Students Taking an Arts Course by Student Group, 2023
| All Students | Asian | Black or African American | Economically Disadvantaged | Hispanic or Latino | Multiracial | White | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts | 81.7% | 83.9% | 79.4% | 80.3% | 79.2% | 85.1% | 82.5% |
| Region | 83.5% | 84.5% | 81.9% | 82.0% | 82.0% | 86.7% | 83.6% |
| Middlesex County | 83.6% | 84.6% | 81.1% | 81.7% | 81.8% | 87.6% | 83.8% |
| Norfolk County | 83.8% | 85.8% | 82.5% | 80.4% | 81.4% | 86.7% | 83.8% |
| Worcester County | 82.9% | 82.2% | 82.5% | 83.2% | 82.5% | 84.8% | 83.1% |
| Acton-Boxborough School District | 81.4% | 81.1% | 77.8% | 77.4% | 78.4% | 90.4% | 81.5% |
| Ashland School District | 90.8% | 87.0% | 93.7% | 91.6% | 91.1% | 95.6% | 91.2% |
| Bedford School District | 82.4% | 85.3% | 75.3% | 81.6% | 75.4% | 80.6% | 83.2% |
| Bellingham School District | 89.9% | 80.8% | 90.7% | 91.6% | 87.7% | 92.5% | 90.5% |
| Carlisle School District | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | |
| Concord School District | 99.4% | 99.3% | 100.0% | 98.5% | 99.3% | 100.0% | 99.3% |
| Concord-Carlisle School District | 48.9% | 47.8% | 57.9% | 49.6% | 45.0% | 53.0% | 48.4% |
| Dedham School District | 85.1% | 80.0% | 82.3% | 84.0% | 86.3% | 92.6% | 84.6% |
| Dover School District | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% |
| Dover-Sherborn School District | 89.5% | 91.0% | 90.9% | 92.8% | 87.1% | 94.9% | 88.8% |
| Framingham School District | 86.2% | 87.1% | 86.9% | 86.0% | 86.4% | 90.6% | 85.3% |
| Franklin School District | 84.7% | 78.6% | 85.5% | 88.4% | 88.6% | 90.2% | 84.7% |
| Harvard School District | 87.4% | 89.4% | 85.2% | 88.8% | 83.8% | 95.1% | 86.6% |
| Holliston School District | 92.4% | 94.2% | 88.6% | 90.8% | 87.7% | 96.3% | 92.5% |
| Hopkinton School District | 86.7% | 87.3% | 80.0% | 82.1% | 84.8% | 91.5% | 86.3% |
| Hudson School District | 92.0% | 82.9% | 91.4% | 91.5% | 92.0% | 88.7% | 92.3% |
| Lexington School District | 93.8% | 93.5% | 92.2% | 92.9% | 94.9% | 94.9% | 94.0% |
| Lincoln School District | 99.9% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 99.8% |
| Lincoln-Sudbury School District | 62.8% | 67.0% | 64.4% | 58.0% | 63.5% | 45.8% | 64.7% |
| Littleton School District | 66.8% | 63.8% | 50.0% | 63.8% | 62.1% | 58.3% | 67.9% |
| Marlborough School District | 92.8% | 89.2% | 92.8% | 92.9% | 91.4% | 94.4% | 95.3% |
| Maynard School District | 91.5% | 90.0% | 93.8% | 91.4% | 89.9% | 89.1% | 91.9% |
| Medfield School District | 88.5% | 88.4% | 94.4% | 89.1% | 84.1% | 89.2% | 88.7% |
| Medway School District | 89.4% | 89.3% | 89.7% | 89.3% | 86.6% | 92.6% | 89.6% |
| Milford School District | 83.9% | 86.8% | 83.5% | 84.4% | 82.3% | 86.9% | 85.0% |
| Millis School District | 75.7% | 86.7% | 69.2% | 75.7% | 70.0% | 66.7% | 76.7% |
| Nashoba School District | 89.8% | 86.0% | 81.6% | 89.9% | 92.6% | 89.9% | 89.8% |
| Natick School District | 90.4% | 91.3% | 89.2% | 88.4% | 92.6% | 91.4% | 90.0% |
| Needham School District | 92.9% | 94.1% | 94.2% | 95.4% | 92.3% | 97.0% | 92.4% |
| Sherborn School District | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% |
| Southborough School District | 94.4% | 95.3% | 100.0% | 94.7% | 96.7% | 95.2% | 93.8% |
| Sudbury School District | 97.4% | 98.4% | 96.0% | 96.0% | 96.8% | 99.0% | 97.3% |
| Walpole School District | 91.3% | 88.5% | 92.2% | 88.3% | 92.5% | 94.6% | 91.2% |
| Waltham School District | 86.8% | 90.7% | 86.4% | 85.5% | 85.7% | 92.3% | 87.3% |
| Wayland School District | 83.9% | 80.6% | 76.4% | 83.8% | 87.4% | 86.2% | 84.5% |
| Wellesley School District | 85.4% | 86.9% | 83.9% | 86.0% | 86.8% | 92.0% | 84.2% |
| Westborough School District | 84.5% | 83.0% | 90.4% | 87.3% | 86.5% | 87.4% | 84.5% |
| Westford School District | 84.3% | 80.6% | 85.6% | 89.1% | 90.9% | 93.2% | 85.7% |
| Weston School District | 95.0% | 95.2% | 95.0% | 94.8% | 95.9% | 95.7% | 94.8% |
| Westwood School District | 90.6% | 93.5% | 80.3% | 87.2% | 89.4% | 96.1% | 90.2% |
Source: Massachusetts Department of Elementary & Secondary Education
Number of Students Taking an Arts Course by Student Group, 2023
| All Students | Asian | Black or African American | Economically Disadvantaged | Hispanic or Latino | Multiracial | White | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts | 725,898 | 54,541 | 66,481 | 318,685 | 172,754 | 33,142 | 396,892 |
| Region | 345,456 | 41,233 | 23,098 | 118,699 | 63,212 | 17,372 | 199,502 |
| Middlesex County | 169,330 | 24,069 | 9,956 | 53,443 | 32,243 | 8,995 | 93,624 |
| Norfolk County | 79,452 | 10,899 | 6,748 | 20,943 | 7,837 | 4,430 | 49,274 |
| Worcester County | 96,674 | 6,265 | 6,394 | 44,313 | 23,132 | 3,947 | 56,604 |
| Acton-Boxborough School District | 4,127 | 1,369 | 112 | 473 | 320 | 225 | 2,094 |
| Ashland School District | 2,581 | 401 | 74 | 661 | 499 | 87 | 1,508 |
| Bedford School District | 2,052 | 453 | 110 | 257 | 144 | 129 | 1,216 |
| Bellingham School District | 1,718 | 42 | 49 | 607 | 199 | 49 | 1,371 |
| Carlisle School District | 592 | 72 | 31 | 37 | 49 | 429 | |
| Concord School District | 1,900 | 147 | 77 | 192 | 145 | 143 | 1,387 |
| Concord-Carlisle School District | 642 | 55 | 33 | 57 | 36 | 44 | 472 |
| Dedham School District | 2,130 | 44 | 172 | 642 | 378 | 126 | 1,408 |
| Dover School District | 496 | 65 | 16 | 22 | 22 | 29 | 363 |
| Dover-Sherborn School District | 1,030 | 132 | 30 | 77 | 61 | 75 | 730 |
| Framingham School District | 7,827 | 310 | 479 | 4,579 | 3,759 | 375 | 2,903 |
| Franklin School District | 3,895 | 261 | 100 | 631 | 263 | 110 | 3,134 |
| Harvard School District | 872 | 127 | 23 | 79 | 31 | 58 | 632 |
| Holliston School District | 2,484 | 258 | 31 | 278 | 121 | 77 | 1,976 |
| Hopkinton School District | 3,559 | 1,020 | 28 | 261 | 168 | 194 | 2,142 |
| Hudson School District | 2,155 | 29 | 64 | 868 | 424 | 63 | 1,572 |
| Lexington School District | 6,445 | 2,879 | 259 | 564 | 335 | 526 | 2,442 |
| Lincoln School District | 908 | 56 | 80 | 132 | 147 | 104 | 518 |
| Lincoln-Sudbury School District | 933 | 59 | 56 | 83 | 61 | 65 | 691 |
| Littleton School District | 1,090 | 153 | 10 | 118 | 36 | 21 | 862 |
| Marlborough School District | 4,528 | 33 | 207 | 2,893 | 2,614 | 184 | 1,490 |
| Maynard School District | 1,045 | 18 | 30 | 317 | 170 | 41 | 785 |
| Medfield School District | 2,193 | 99 | 34 | 196 | 95 | 83 | 1,876 |
| Medway School District | 1,875 | 75 | 35 | 316 | 149 | 63 | 1,548 |
| Milford School District | 3,705 | 66 | 137 | 2,202 | 1,270 | 113 | 2,065 |
| Millis School District | 858 | 26 | 9 | 168 | 91 | 34 | 693 |
| Nashoba School District | 2,648 | 104 | 31 | 346 | 226 | 116 | 2,169 |
| Natick School District | 4,748 | 526 | 141 | 676 | 415 | 287 | 3,373 |
| Needham School District | 5,057 | 559 | 163 | 458 | 350 | 319 | 3,661 |
| Sherborn School District | 398 | 29 | 16 | 24 | 19 | 23 | 311 |
| Southborough School District | 1,121 | 262 | 13 | 90 | 58 | 59 | 726 |
| Sudbury School District | 2,444 | 250 | 72 | 215 | 150 | 197 | 1,771 |
| Walpole School District | 3,261 | 231 | 141 | 506 | 258 | 123 | 2,496 |
| Waltham School District | 4,905 | 235 | 418 | 2,535 | 2,279 | 131 | 1,835 |
| Wayland School District | 2,265 | 319 | 94 | 212 | 132 | 169 | 1,548 |
| Wellesley School District | 3,496 | 605 | 135 | 308 | 231 | 286 | 2,237 |
| Westborough School District | 3,167 | 1,065 | 103 | 571 | 341 | 111 | 1,541 |
| Westford School District | 3,936 | 1,191 | 77 | 394 | 179 | 41 | 2,433 |
| Weston School District | 1,876 | 357 | 115 | 165 | 141 | 132 | 1,130 |
| Westwood School District | 2,595 | 346 | 49 | 238 | 160 | 147 | 1,890 |
Source: Massachusetts Department of Elementary & Secondary Education
Percent of Students Taking an Arts Course by Student Group, 2018
| All Students | Asian | Black or African American | Economically Disadvantaged | Hispanic or Latino | Multiracial | White | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts | 79.7% | 82.8% | 76.3% | 77.8% | 76.0% | 84.2% | 80.9% |
| Region | 81.9% | 83.8% | 79.4% | 80.0% | 79.9% | 85.8% | 82.0% |
| Middlesex County | 82.7% | 84.7% | 80.5% | 80.6% | 81.0% | 87.1% | 82.6% |
| Norfolk County | 81.8% | 84.1% | 79.8% | 80.1% | 81.0% | 84.7% | 81.4% |
| Worcester County | 80.6% | 80.3% | 76.9% | 78.8% | 78.4% | 84.3% | 81.4% |
| Acton-Boxborough School District | 79.6% | 80.6% | 82.9% | 76.2% | 86.8% | 81.3% | 78.1% |
| Ashland School District | 87.7% | 88.4% | 90.2% | 85.3% | 87.9% | 89.3% | 87.3% |
| Bedford School District | 82.3% | 82.2% | 82.8% | 80.8% | 84.0% | 76.1% | 82.6% |
| Bellingham School District | 90.7% | 90.2% | 88.4% | 88.5% | 82.2% | 90.9% | 91.2% |
| Carlisle School District | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | |
| Christa McAuliffe Charter Public (District) | 99.2% | 100.0% | 94.4% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 99.2% |
| Concord School District | 99.5% | 99.3% | 100.0% | 99.4% | 99.2% | 100.0% | 99.6% |
| Concord-Carlisle School District | 52.5% | 57.7% | 45.3% | 46.9% | 47.4% | 44.9% | 52.9% |
| Dedham School District | 87.2% | 80.0% | 84.8% | 84.7% | 89.3% | 97.1% | 86.6% |
| Dover School District | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% |
| Dover-Sherborn School District | 89.4% | 87.4% | 96.4% | 87.5% | 81.6% | 88.5% | 89.7% |
| Framingham School District | 86.8% | 83.3% | 85.4% | 85.6% | 88.9% | 88.0% | 86.2% |
| Franklin School District | 88.3% | 83.5% | 82.8% | 87.8% | 90.0% | 90.4% | 88.6% |
| Harvard School District | 82.7% | 81.8% | 88.5% | 81.7% | 82.6% | 93.1% | 82.3% |
| Holliston School District | 93.0% | 95.4% | 93.3% | 92.2% | 94.1% | 92.9% | 92.8% |
| Hopkinton School District | 85.7% | 88.7% | 87.9% | 82.4% | 82.3% | 95.0% | 84.8% |
| Hudson School District | 86.9% | 88.7% | 87.0% | 85.8% | 90.3% | 90.1% | 86.3% |
| Lexington School District | 95.7% | 96.2% | 92.4% | 95.1% | 95.3% | 95.5% | 95.6% |
| Lincoln School District | 98.2% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 97.7% | 96.5% | 98.9% | 98.1% |
| Lincoln-Sudbury School District | 62.5% | 65.7% | 65.2% | 55.5% | 59.7% | 57.4% | 62.5% |
| Littleton School District | 86.4% | 92.7% | 94.4% | 85.8% | 74.2% | 100.0% | 85.7% |
| Marlborough School District | 90.1% | 95.2% | 88.6% | 88.8% | 89.5% | 95.5% | 90.3% |
| Maynard School District | 54.0% | 60.7% | 65.0% | 51.1% | 51.8% | 39.1% | 54.7% |
| Medfield School District | 89.4% | 83.8% | 86.2% | 87.3% | 96.0% | 91.6% | 89.3% |
| Medway School District | 82.9% | 85.0% | 72.7% | 79.7% | 80.2% | 91.3% | 82.8% |
| Milford School District | 90.3% | 90.2% | 86.4% | 89.5% | 89.2% | 93.8% | 90.7% |
| Millis School District | 71.1% | 74.1% | 45.0% | 66.6% | 67.0% | 78.6% | 71.8% |
| Nashoba School District | 90.4% | 86.1% | 88.2% | 88.4% | 91.8% | 89.4% | 90.5% |
| Natick School District | 88.1% | 91.4% | 84.2% | 87.1% | 88.2% | 91.5% | 87.6% |
| Needham School District | 85.0% | 84.5% | 83.7% | 83.5% | 87.2% | 88.1% | 84.8% |
| Sherborn School District | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% |
| Southborough School District | 93.6% | 96.8% | 100.0% | 93.2% | 89.1% | 96.9% | 92.8% |
| Sudbury School District | 90.4% | 90.6% | 94.2% | 89.5% | 83.5% | 90.6% | 90.4% |
| Walpole School District | 85.4% | 84.9% | 79.9% | 80.8% | 82.4% | 93.3% | 85.6% |
| Waltham School District | 88.4% | 92.7% | 88.3% | 85.3% | 88.2% | 87.0% | 88.3% |
| Wayland School District | 84.5% | 86.6% | 83.2% | 83.3% | 84.6% | 89.3% | 83.7% |
| Wellesley School District | 88.9% | 93.1% | 82.8% | 86.7% | 85.0% | 89.1% | 88.7% |
| Westborough School District | 82.4% | 84.0% | 74.3% | 79.2% | 83.8% | 88.8% | 81.2% |
| Westford School District | 84.0% | 84.5% | 87.0% | 80.0% | 86.6% | 87.1% | 83.6% |
| Weston School District | 89.6% | 91.2% | 92.5% | 88.8% | 93.2% | 87.6% | 88.9% |
| Westwood School District | 90.4% | 94.6% | 90.5% | 89.5% | 92.5% | 97.1% | 89.6% |
Source: Massachusetts Department of Elementary & Secondary Education
Number of Students Taking an Arts Course by Student Group, 2018
| All Students | Asian | Black or African American | Economically Disadvantaged | Hispanic or Latino | Multiracial | White | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts | 740,522 | 52,651 | 64,731 | 369,231 | 143,795 | 28,153 | 449,175 |
| Region | 350,482 | 38,502 | 21,650 | 174,555 | 48,282 | 14,480 | 226,596 |
| Middlesex County | 171,378 | 22,563 | 10,386 | 85,315 | 24,159 | 7,409 | 106,459 |
| Norfolk County | 80,117 | 9,916 | 5,969 | 39,849 | 5,380 | 3,357 | 55,253 |
| Worcester County | 98,987 | 6,023 | 5,295 | 49,391 | 18,743 | 3,714 | 64,884 |
| Acton-Boxborough School District | 4,405 | 1,443 | 107 | 2,175 | 224 | 187 | 2,431 |
| Ashland School District | 2,339 | 319 | 55 | 1,119 | 284 | 75 | 1,591 |
| Bedford School District | 2,154 | 352 | 135 | 1,071 | 131 | 105 | 1,429 |
| Bellingham School District | 1,975 | 55 | 38 | 981 | 83 | 40 | 1,746 |
| Carlisle School District | 605 | 70 | 329 | 27 | 55 | 449 | |
| Christa McAuliffe Charter Public (District) | 384 | 22 | 17 | 201 | 78 | 28 | 235 |
| Concord School District | 2,073 | 138 | 84 | 1,050 | 128 | 131 | 1,589 |
| Concord-Carlisle School District | 663 | 64 | 24 | 284 | 27 | 22 | 526 |
| Dedham School District | 2,286 | 56 | 168 | 1,146 | 369 | 101 | 1,587 |
| Dover School District | 475 | 74 | 19 | 267 | 17 | 18 | 346 |
| Dover-Sherborn School District | 1,071 | 90 | 27 | 531 | 31 | 46 | 875 |
| Framingham School District | 7,471 | 350 | 534 | 3,745 | 2,078 | 287 | 4,211 |
| Franklin School District | 4,606 | 233 | 72 | 2,363 | 135 | 85 | 4,056 |
| Harvard School District | 907 | 99 | 23 | 452 | 38 | 27 | 720 |
| Holliston School District | 2,619 | 206 | 28 | 1,331 | 127 | 79 | 2,177 |
| Hopkinton School District | 3,024 | 457 | 29 | 1,460 | 93 | 95 | 2,340 |
| Hudson School District | 2,281 | 47 | 40 | 1,108 | 260 | 64 | 1,868 |
| Lexington School District | 6,941 | 2,669 | 268 | 3,525 | 246 | 449 | 3,302 |
| Lincoln School District | 1,010 | 40 | 102 | 508 | 167 | 88 | 609 |
| Lincoln-Sudbury School District | 954 | 65 | 45 | 436 | 43 | 39 | 761 |
| Littleton School District | 1,385 | 115 | 17 | 650 | 23 | 45 | 1,182 |
| Marlborough School District | 4,187 | 140 | 147 | 2,119 | 2,049 | 107 | 1,741 |
| Maynard School District | 727 | 17 | 26 | 343 | 86 | 27 | 569 |
| Medfield School District | 2,301 | 93 | 25 | 1,142 | 95 | 76 | 2,005 |
| Medway School District | 1,858 | 51 | 24 | 885 | 65 | 42 | 1,671 |
| Milford School District | 3,718 | 83 | 108 | 1,888 | 1,029 | 135 | 2,296 |
| Millis School District | 886 | 20 | 9 | 416 | 65 | 33 | 758 |
| Nashoba School District | 2,884 | 87 | 30 | 1,405 | 135 | 84 | 2,543 |
| Natick School District | 4,762 | 457 | 117 | 2,391 | 283 | 257 | 3,639 |
| Needham School District | 4,744 | 413 | 139 | 2,312 | 272 | 237 | 3,679 |
| Sherborn School District | 394 | 31 | 11 | 205 | 12 | 27 | 313 |
| Southborough School District | 1,151 | 212 | 8 | 579 | 57 | 63 | 808 |
| Sudbury School District | 2,398 | 222 | 81 | 1,239 | 76 | 163 | 1,851 |
| Walpole School District | 3,208 | 191 | 107 | 1,520 | 168 | 83 | 2,648 |
| Waltham School District | 4,823 | 253 | 475 | 2,457 | 1,937 | 114 | 2,037 |
| Wayland School District | 2,312 | 375 | 119 | 1,173 | 99 | 134 | 1,579 |
| Wellesley School District | 4,360 | 617 | 169 | 2,088 | 204 | 285 | 3,083 |
| Westborough School District | 3,153 | 1,015 | 55 | 1,519 | 196 | 103 | 1,779 |
| Westford School District | 4,192 | 1,077 | 40 | 2,031 | 71 | 155 | 2,846 |
| Weston School District | 1,855 | 312 | 124 | 935 | 123 | 92 | 1,201 |
| Westwood School District | 2,798 | 282 | 67 | 1,402 | 98 | 99 | 2,251 |
Source: Massachusetts Department of Elementary & Secondary Education
Education Indicators
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| INDICATORS | REGIONAL TREND |
|---|---|
| Prekindergarten Participation | Not Applicable |
| Student Performance on Grade 3 English, by Student Group | Not Applicable |
| School Spending Per Student | Maintaining |
| Student Performance on Grade 8 Math by Student Group | Not Applicable |
| Chronically Absent Students | Increasing |
| High School Cohort Graduation Rate by Student Group | Not Applicable |
| Education Levels of Adults | Not Applicable |
| College Admission Rate, by Race/Ethnicity | Not Applicable |
| Education Levels of Adults, by Race/Ethnicity | 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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