Danvers Schools Score Above State Averages In DESE Report Card

DANVERS, MA — High scores in arts education access, advanced-course participation and the four-year graduation rate were among the brightest spots in the Danvers Public Schools' 2020-2021 "report card" from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

The report card each year measures districts against state averages in several categories of learning, enrollment, attendance, discipline and preparedness for post-graduation success.

Because of the pandemic year, DESE did not make accountability determinations for the 2020-2021 school year.

The report card is broken down by district and individual schools with results required to be made available to families.

Danvers scored particularly high on access to art, theater and music education where the district's percentage of students taking at least one of those courses (89.7 percent) was more than 12 points higher than that state average (77.8 percent).

The percentage of juniors and seniors completing at least one advanced course work (advanced placement or another college-credit course) of 84.8 percent was well above the state average of 65.3 percent.

Acting Co-Superintendent Mary Wermers also noted to Patch that the four-year graduation rate at the school of 95.8 percent was 6.8 percent above the state average and a 4.1 percent improvement from the 2019 figures.

"We recognized that we were at or above the state average for most indicators," Wermers said. "We were pleased to be at or above the state averages on the report but we also know that there's much more work to do."

Wermers said one goal will be to increase the number of students scoring at meeting or exceeding expectations in the MCAS assessments. Danvers was at 82 percent in 2020-21, which was better than the 76 percent state average.

"(We are also) reflecting on our discipline practices with a goal of using more trauma-informed and restorative practices," Wermers said.

Enrollment at Danvers Public Schools has decreased from 3,481 students in 2019 to 3,309 students in the 2021 report card.

The report card also revealed that 60.4 percent of Danvers students go on to a four-year college (state average: 52 percent) and 10.4 percent go on to a two-year college (state average: 11.9 percent).

Danvers spends an average of $16,571 per student — slightly above the state averAGE OF $16,377.

The full DESE district and individual school report cards can be found here.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)