2026 MCAS results, district by district on the South Coast: English dips, math holds close to last year
English results were lower than in 2025 in 14 of the 16 South Coast town and regional districts that test grades 3 to 8, in line with a 2-point drop statewide. Math moved by 2 points or less in 11 of them.
FALL RIVER A smaller share of students in grades 3 to 8 met or exceeded expectations in English on this spring's MCAS in almost every South Coast district, while math results stayed within a couple of points of 2025 in most of them, the state's 2026 results show.
Statewide, 40% of students in grades 3 to 8 met or exceeded expectations in English language arts, down from 42% in 2025. In math the statewide share held at 41% both years, and in science it went to 41% from 42%.
English results were lower than in 2025 in 14 of the 16 South Coast town and regional districts that test grades 3 to 8. Wareham held at 31%, and Old Rochester Regional rose a point to 50%.
Math went up in four districts: Westport to 33% from 29%, Fairhaven to 47% from 45%, Swansea to 44% from 43% and Wareham to 30% from 29%. Fall River held at 18% and New Bedford at 19%. The other 10 districts were lower, six of them by 2 points or less.
District by district
The table shows the share of students who met or exceeded expectations, with the 2025 figure in parentheses. Somerset Berkley Regional, Greater New Bedford Voc-Tech, Bristol County Agricultural, Diman, Old Colony and Bristol-Plymouth have no grades 3 to 8 results. Charter schools, including those in Fall River and New Bedford, report as their own districts and are not in the table. In the tri-town area, Marion, Mattapoisett, Rochester and Old Rochester Regional each report separately.
| District | English | Math | Science | Students tested in English |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acushnet | 43% (49%) | 47% (48%) | 32% (44%) | 607 |
| Berkley | 45% (49%) | 42% (46%) | 53% (59%) | 540 |
| Dartmouth | 46% (51%) | 50% (54%) | 43% (45%) | 1,611 |
| Dighton-Rehoboth | 36% (44%) | 38% (40%) | 44% (52%) | 1,243 |
| Fairhaven | 40% (45%) | 47% (45%) | 47% (48%) | 757 |
| Fall River | 18% (19%) | 18% (18%) | 15% (18%) | 5,060 |
| Freetown-Lakeville | 39% (43%) | 50% (52%) | 51% (51%) | 1,350 |
| Marion | 39% (43%) | 44% (46%) | 45% (55%) | 194 |
| Mattapoisett | 57% (66%) | 52% (58%) | 78% (64%) | 207 |
| New Bedford | 20% (22%) | 19% (19%) | 16% (17%) | 5,714 |
| Old Rochester Regional | 50% (49%) | 39% (42%) | 42% (44%) | 409 |
| Rochester | 46% (50%) | 53% (54%) | 55% (60%) | 253 |
| Somerset | 38% (43%) | 44% (45%) | 45% (51%) | 1,045 |
| Swansea | 39% (42%) | 44% (43%) | 48% (50%) | 952 |
| Wareham | 31% (31%) | 30% (29%) | 36% (31%) | 874 |
| Westport | 31% (32%) | 33% (29%) | 44% (43%) | 728 |
| Statewide | 40% (42%) | 41% (41%) | 41% (42%) | 394,230 |
Science
Science results rose in three districts. Mattapoisett went to 78% from 64% (46 students tested), Wareham to 36% from 31% and Westport to 44% from 43%. Freetown-Lakeville held at 51%, and the other 12 districts were lower.
Growth from one year to the next
The state also reports student growth percentiles, which measure how much a student learned from one year to the next compared with students in the same grade who had similar earlier MCAS scores. The state reports growth for grades 4 to 8 and 10, in English and math only, so the figures below cover grades 4 to 8. The statewide average is 50 in both subjects.
Across the 16 districts, average growth in 2026 ran from 36 to 56 in math and from 42 to 50 in English. Five districts posted higher average growth in math than in 2025: Fairhaven's rose to 50 from 45, Westport's to 45 from 42, Somerset's to 49 from 47, New Bedford's to 43 from 42 and Rochester's to 51 from 50. In English, five also rose: Fairhaven to 46 from 43, Acushnet to 42 from 41, Fall River to 47 from 46, Old Rochester Regional to 44 from 43 and Westport to 44 from 43. Growth was lower than in 2025 in nine districts in math and 10 in English.
Who took the test
Participation ran from 97% to 100% in every South Coast district and subject. Fall River and New Bedford together tested 10,774 students in English, about half of the 21,544 tested across the 16 districts.
Where families can look
Each district's full results, broken out by school, grade and student group, are on the state's School and District Profiles site. The state education department's Student Growth page links to a guide for parents, Understanding Your Child's MCAS Achievement and Growth Results.
Label: Reported by us, from the town's posted records.
Notes
Every number comes from the state education department's district MCAS reports for grades 3 to 8, all students, for 2026 and 2025, and the description of growth percentiles from the department's Student Growth page, all listed below. We read them on Oct. 24. We counted the districts that rose, held or fell and added the students tested ourselves. Percentages are rounded as the state reports them. Not heard: no one was contacted.
Corrections
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Sources (3)
- MCAS state report, district level, 2026, grades 3 to 8, all studentsMassachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, School and District Profiles. Share meeting or exceeding expectations, students included, participation and average student growth percentile by district and subject; page says data last updated Sept. 22, 2026. Read Oct. 24, 2026.
- MCAS state report, district level, 2025, grades 3 to 8, all studentsMassachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, School and District Profiles, year set to 2025. The 2025 comparison figures. Read Oct. 24, 2026.
- Student GrowthMassachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. What student growth percentiles measure. Read Oct. 24, 2026.