Most South Coast graduates already finish MassCore, the course plan the state wants every high school to offer

SOUTH COAST Massachusetts education officials plan to propose rules that would require every public high school to offer MassCore, the state's recommended set of high school courses, and in most South Coast districts nearly every graduate already completes it.

In 2025, 4,490 of the 4,803 graduates in 19 South Coast public school districts completed MassCore, about 93%, according to the counts the districts reported to the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Statewide, 58,619 of 71,405 graduates completed it, or 82.1%.

Ten of the 19 districts reported that every graduate finished it: New Bedford, Swansea, Dighton-Rehoboth, Atlantis Charter in Fall River, Global Learning Charter in New Bedford, the four regional vocational technical high schools and Bristol County Agricultural High School. Three districts came in below the state rate. Somerset Berkley Regional reported 145 of 209 graduates completing MassCore, or 69.4%. Westport reported 65 of 92, or 70.7%, and Fall River reported 474 of 597, or 79.4%.

The department described the coming rules to the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education at its Oct. 27 meeting as setting expectations for schools "without changing student requirements." Graduation requirements for individual students under the state's new graduation framework will require legislation, the department's presentation to the board said.

What MassCore asks of students

MassCore calls for four years of English and four of math, including Algebra II or its equivalent, three years of lab-based science, three of history and social science, two years of the same world language, one year of the arts and five more core courses, along with the physical education state law already requires. A rigorous computer science course can stand in for one math or one lab science course. The board adopted MassCore as a recommended program in 2007 and amended it in 2018, and the department says it matches the admission requirements of the state's public four-year colleges and universities.

Across the state, 70% of high schools that sent their local graduation requirements to the department for review already require MassCore in full or are one subject away from it, according to the presentation.

District by district

The table lists each district's 2025 graduates and how many of them completed MassCore. The figures are the ones each district reported, and the state notes that graduation requirements changed between 2024 and 2025. Regional districts are counted once for all of their member towns.

MassCore completion, 2025 graduates, South Coast public districts

District	Graduates	Completed MassCore	Share
Atlantis Charter (Fall River)	76	76	100%
Bristol County Agricultural	148	148	100%
Bristol-Plymouth Regional Vocational Technical	309	309	100%
Dartmouth	234	231	98.7%
Dighton-Rehoboth	160	160	100%
Fairhaven	145	138	95.2%
Fall River	597	474	79.4%
Freetown-Lakeville	170	169	99.4%
Global Learning Charter (New Bedford)	37	37	100%
Greater Fall River Regional Vocational Technical (Diman)	352	352	100%
Greater New Bedford Regional Vocational Technical	501	501	100%
New Bedford	718	718	100%
Old Colony Regional Vocational Technical	131	131	100%
Old Rochester Regional	146	139	95.2%
Somerset Berkley Regional	209	145	69.4%
Swansea	124	124	100%
Taunton	558	486	87.1%
Wareham	96	87	90.6%
Westport	92	65	70.7%
South Coast total	4,803	4,490	93.5%
Statewide	71,405	58,619	82.1%

How the state got here

Voters approved Question 2 in 2024, ending the requirement that students pass the MCAS to earn a high school diploma. In its place, the question's summary says, a student needs coursework that the district certifies as showing mastery of the state's academic standards.

Gov. Maura Healey created the K-12 Statewide Graduation Council by executive order on Jan. 17, 2025, to advise her and the Legislature on a uniform statewide graduation requirement. The council, led by the education commissioner and the state's education secretary, published its final report in June 2026, and the department is now working on how to put it in place.

The report recommends four main pieces: completing MassCore, end-of-course exams the state designs and scores, a postsecondary plan built through the state's My Career and Academic Plan, known as MyCAP, and a capstone project or portfolio judged locally on a state rubric. As the report proposed it, the class of 2031, this year's eighth graders, would have to complete MassCore to graduate, and the class of 2032 would have to meet every piece, according to Commissioner Pedro Martinez's Oct. 15 memo to the board.

MyCAP would start no later than ninth grade, with yearly milestones that include financial literacy, artificial intelligence and digital literacy, work-based learning, and filing the federal or state college aid application or opting out. As of the 2025-26 school year, 40% of districts were taking part in the department's MyCAP training and grants, the presentation said.

What happens next

The department will "soon propose" the rules requiring high schools to offer MassCore and MyCAP, and if they are approved, they will go out for a public comment period, the presentation said. The department also plans continued work with the Legislature on graduation requirements for individual students.

The board's next regular meeting is Tuesday, Nov. 17. Its schedule also lists Monday, Nov. 16, and the board may hold a special meeting on the Monday evening before a regular meeting, the schedule says.

How to weigh in

The board sets aside up to 30 minutes for public comment at its regular meetings, with up to three minutes for each speaker. It gives preference to people who ask by 5 p.m. on the Thursday before a regular Tuesday meeting, which for Nov. 17 is Thursday, Nov. 12, and it accepts written comments of any length. Requests go to BoardofEducation@mass.gov or 781-338-3112, and meetings stream live and are recorded on the department's YouTube channel.

Label: Reported by us, from the town's posted records.