Waltham Public Schools 2021 DESE Report Cards Now Available

WALTHAM, MA — State report cards for the 2020-2021 school year are now available for Waltham Public Schools.

The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) did not make accountability determinations for the 2020-2021 school year, but the report cards include enrollment, graduation rates, MCAS scores, and more.

According to the district report card, Waltham schools have mixed results, outperforming most of the state in some categories and falling behind in others. In terms of MCAS scores, students in grades 3-8 did better in both math and English than students in grade 10. Younger students also made more progress in English, with high schoolers’ scoring below “typical progress,” but students of all ages did not do well in math.

On the 0-99 student progress scale, with higher numbers meaning more progress, Waltham scored 41.8 in Grade 3-8 English, 34.2 in Grade 3-8 math, 42.5 in Grade 10 English, and 32.3 in Grade 10 math.

In other categories, Waltham scored around the state average or a bit lower. In measures including attendance, college attendance, and more, the city is falling a bit behind. Compared to the state average, a lower proportion of Waltham students are also meeting or exceeding expectations.

Despite difficulties related to the COVID-19 pandemic, Waltham schools have managed to keep attendance rates around the state average. However, the city's next-year college attendance rate has decreased by about 13 percent since 2019 and is 10 percent lower than the state average.

Waltham's district report card and individual school metrics are available here.